The diplomatic feud between Saudi Arabia and Qatar has led the former to consider digging a canal which would turn the latter into an island.
“I am impatiently waiting for details on the implementation of the Salwa island project, a great, historic project that will change the geography of the region,” Saud al-Qahtani, a senior adviser to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, said on Twitter.
The canal would physically separate the Qatari peninsula from the Saudi mainland. The project is the latest point in a fractious 14-month long dispute between the two states.
Diplomatic and trade ties with Qatar were cut on charges that Doha supports terrorism. Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut its ties in June 2017. Saudi Arabia also did not appreciate the fact that Doha shared good relations with Iran, Riyadh's arch rival.
In April the pro-government Sabq news website reported government plans to build a channel 60km long and 200m wide stretching across Saudi Arabia’s border with Qatar.
Part of the canal, which would cost up to 2.8 billion riyals ($750m), would be reserved for a nuclear waste facility, it said.
Five unnamed companies that specialised in digging canals had been invited to bid for the project and the winner would be announced in September, Makkah newspaper reported in June.