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Meetings between officials of General Organisation of Ports (GOP) and APM Terminals (APMT) are being held behind closed doors to decide the fate of the planned Seafarers' Welfare Centre at the newly opened $530 million Khalifa Bin Salman Port (KBSP).
APMT, international container terminal owner and operator, which manages and runs the facility and GOP, the regulatory port authority set up by the government of Bahrain, have urged Bahrain International Seafarers' Society (BISS) to put in a proposal outlining the financial cost, design and layout of a permanent facility that will house the Seafarers' Welfare Centre.
"We recognise the importance of mariners and acknowledge the services the Seafarers' Welfare Centre provides for them. The centre is key for the well being of seafarers who visit Bahrain," said Iain Rawlinson, chief commercial officer at APMT.
APMT is also represented on the board of BISS and provides assistance to the charity when necessary. "Currently we will provide the space and services like water, electricity and sewerage free of charge to the welfare centre at the facility at KBSP," Mr Rawlinson added.
"We are more than happy to provide an area to the society for a more permanent facility but as terminal operator we are not allowed to make any structural changes in the port. It is up to the General Organisation of Ports (GOP) to take that decision."
The Director General of GOP, Hassan Ali Al Majed, speaking exclusively to GulfWeekly, said: "We have been providing space and services free of charge to BISS to run the welfare centre since the beginning of the centre's inception in 1982 at Mina Salman Port. But, now with the new port, the picture is different.
"We are the port regulators while the port is run by APMT. We still support the seafarers' society and offered it a permanent space at Mina Salman which it refused citing that it was too far from the new facility. So, after discussions with APMT, we have decided to offer a temporary facility.
"We will seriously think about funding the permanent facility after the proposal has been submitted to us which, if approved, will be in sync with our state-of-the-art port facility."
Presently, the welfare centre's move to KBSP has been delayed and Captain Ali, chairman of BISS, hopes that it will be able to overcome the snags and set up the two portable cabins in an allocated space in a warehouse at the new port soon.
"We will get the electricity and phone connections this week. Everything is slowly coming together. We have started work on the proposal for a permanent home at the new port and hope that the concerned authorities will take note of the need for better and bigger space within it to service the welfare needs of hundreds of seafarers visiting the centre," said Captain Ali.
