Launching a new era

The kingdom's new BD136.4 million state-of-the-art Khalifa Bin Salman Port (KBSP) was officially inaugurated by the General Organisation of Sea Ports (GOP) this week at a ceremony held under the patronage of His Majesty King Hamad.

His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the Prime Minister, and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander, and other officials attended the event, which coincides with the kingdom's 38th National Day celebrations and the 10th anniversary of King Hamad's accession to the throne.

GOP chairman Shaikh Daij bin Salman bin Daij Al Khalifa praised the efforts of all those involved in the development and completion of the port.

He highlighted the leadership of King Hamad whose vision for a better and more competitive Bahrain helped to inspire the new state-of-the-art port and the Prime Minister whose constant support ensured its successful completion.

The inauguration ushers in a new era of sophisticated port management and boosts the kingdom's economic status on regional and international levels in accordance with Bahrain's economic vision 2030.

Shaikh Daij also thanked the ministers and private sector partners, especially APM Terminals Bahrain, a leader in port management and the operator of KBSP, for the smooth transfer of operations from Mina Salman Port to KBSP.

The port, occupying a land area of 110 hectares of reclaimed land on the north-east of the Kingdom of Bahrain, began operations on April 1 this year and is expected to quickly become the premier trans-shipment hub for the Northern Gulf and Saudi Arabia. The state-of-the-art BD136.3 million port has a total quayside of 1,800 metres and is designed to accommodate a container capacity, measured as twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU), of more than 1.1 million TEUs annually, as well as passengers, general breakbulk and roll-on/roll-off cargo.

Its capacity is four times larger than the capacity of Mina Salman Port, which has been Bahrain's main port over the past 50 years. Unlike Mina Salman Port, the new world-class port will ultimately have the capability to handle ships with draughts up to 15m, the size of which are becoming commonplace in the Arabian Gulf as foreign trade increases after the global downturn.

Shaikh Daij said: "KBSP is the first multi-functional facility that is focused on imports, exports, re-exports, and other value-added economic activities in the region. It represents a quantum leap for Bahrain in the area of maritime shipping.

"The port is one of the most modern ports in the Arabian Gulf and it will help revive economic activity and attract foreign investments to the region, especially the Northern Gulf.

"It is also one of the most prominent developmental projects for Bahraini society, creating a better standard of living for citizens as it offers rewarding job opportunities for the people of the kingdom. We are pleased to reveal today that about 87 per cent of the workers in the port are qualified Bahrainis."

The port's buildings and infrastructure were implemented and completed by the Ministry of Works, which handed the port over to GOP early this year for the purpose of supervision and control. The port is being managed and operated by APM Terminals Bahrain.

Executive vice-president of A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S Flemming Ipsen said: "We are pleased that we were chosen to contribute to the creation of this landmark project that will serve Bahrain's future ambitions."

A documentary offering a behind-the-scenes look at the port's construction process was aired at the ceremony, which concluded with King Hamad unveiling a plaque to signal the official opening of the port. His Majesty was presented with a memento and a book titled Tribute to the Two Seas: Bahrain's Bright Maritime Future before touring the port, during which he praised the high quality of the facilities.