The Middle East and Western sources familiar with the matter said Doha was targeting investments in ports around the US East Coast which were expected to be developed in phases, adding that the plan was at a preliminary stage.

The country's sovereign wealth fund Qatar Investment Authority and the Qatar Government Communication Office both declined to comment.

A Middle East-based source said the investments would be backed by debt, which would be linked to the port assets, adding that Qatar was in early discussions with banks to look for a structuring adviser.

The banks being approached included Morgan Stanley, HSBC, and Credit Suisse, two of the sources said.

In November Congress approved US President Joe Biden's $1.2 trillion infrastructure package, which port and industry sources say includes $5.22 billion of federal funding for port-specific programmes, falling short of the tens of billions of dollars estimated to be needed for investment in creaking infrastructure.

The Middle East-based source said Qatar could look to target three port projects.