Saudi Arabia Plans to Cut Qatar Off … Literally Amid Diplomatic Standoff

The Saudi investment union plans to dig a 60-kilometer-long maritime channel on the border with Qatar, turning it into an island, and implement a tourism project in the area, the Saudi newspaper Sabq reports.
The channel will make the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia continuous, which will simplify trade and tourism, “refresh the region”.
It is noted that construction is not hindered by any natural and social features of the territory. There are no mountain chains, no settlements and villages or agricultural lands.
According to reports, five hotels and holiday resorts, as well as two new harbors, have also been planned along new channel.The width of the canal will be 200 meters, the depth 15-20 meters. It can take all types of cargo and passenger ships. The initial cost of the project is estimated at about $750 million. The publication emphasizes that the channel will legally belong exclusively to Saudi Arabia.
The move comes amid the continuing dispute between Qatar and other countries in the region. Earlier, a group of Gulf States led by Riyadh has severed diplomatic, trade and transportation links with Qatar.
Sputnik