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In today's economic climate an integrated transport network is crucial to helping shipping companies and logistics operators to cut costs, according to the chairman of the General Organisation of Sea Ports (GOP).
Shaikh Daij bin Salman Al Khalifa believes that since Bahrain's air, sea and road networks boast excellent inter-connection, Bahrain is ideally placed to become a major transshipment centre and the premier port for the northern Gulf region.
"Its sea ports and the airport are located close to each other, connected by excellent road infrastructure to the 25km-long King Fahd Causeway," Shaikh Daij said. He added that Bahrain's competitiveness would be further increased once the construction of the new causeway linking Bahrain and Qatar was completed.
Shaikh Daij was bullish on the outlook for the new Khalifa bin Salman Port (KBSP) which is now fully operational. "With the increased capacity, new equipment and the latest technology available, the port is capable of handling a vastly increased volume of business," he said.
Expansion is also in the pipeline for the Bahrain Logistics Zone, which provides space for companies that focus on re-export and value-adding logistics activities. Shaikh Daij said that re-exports were targeted primarily at the northern Gulf markets, while imports would come from a wider range of markets.
Shaikh Daij's comments are featured in The Report: Bahrain 2009 by the Oxford Business Group.
