Port of Mina Salman
The seaport Mina Salman is the country’s main commercial
port facility, housing the department of customs clearance in its premises.
Located in Manama, the capital of Bahrain and an industrial and manufacturing
hub, the port is the point of entry of more than half of the nation’s imports
and handles most of its exports. Almost 80% of the cargo handled is
containerised. It is also called the old Manama port since most maritime
traffic is now being diverted to the new port of Khalifa Bin Salman.
More than 3200 ships carrying approximately 2,39,700 TEU and
4.7 tonnes of general cargo are handled at Mina Salman Port every year. It was
a natural harbour before the establishment of the port in 1962 with an annual
handling capacity of more than 2.5 million tonnes.
In the mid-90s the major port activities were fishing, pearl
collecting and construction of small boats. The navigation channel was narrow
and larger vessels could not be accommodated. But with the discovery of oil in
the 1930s, Manama and the port began to be developed as the heart of the
Kingdom’s commercial, financial and trading centre.
The port’s construction began in the mid-1950s with the
addition of numerous wharves, port equipment and storage facilities, making it
a crucial port in the Gulf region capable of accommodating the biggest ships.
In the 1980s the port underwent further expansion and modernisation.
Presently the port boasts a dock spanning 800 m, comprising
10 berthing facilities for handling general cargo. Three berths were recently
constructed to handle the increasing bulk cargoes. All berths have been dredged
to depths of approximately 11 m.
The Container terminal was opened in 1979 and includes 15
container berths each covering 200 m, capable of accommodating ships weighing
up to 70,000 DWT. The storage area covers 400,000 sq m for storing up to 10,000
TEU and an additional 200,000 sq m of the open storage yard. Cold storage and
320 reefer connections are also offered.
Port of Khalifa Bin Salman
The Khalifa Bin Salman Port is a major seaport of Bahrain
located on the island of Hidd northeast of the main archipelago. It became
operational in 2009 and is privately operated by the famous port operating
company, APM terminals and is supervised by the Ports and Maritime Affairs
department of the country’s government. The port was recently expanded and is
envisaged to be a premier transhipment hub of the northern Arabian gulf region.
Its strategic geographical location amidst the major
maritime trade routes in the Arabian gulf coupled with the deep waters and
wider navigation channels makes it one of the most accessible and busy
facilities of the region. The port is linked with Bahrain’s major cities
through roadways and is in close proximity to the international airport of
Bahrain. It is also well-connected with Saudi Arabia via the King Fahad
Causeway.
Since it is located in the industrial region of Hidd housing
many manufacturing plants, it exports aluminium and petroleum goods. A power
plant and a water desalinisation plant are also located near the port. One of
the most modern and highly efficient facilities at par with global port
standards, it houses offices of the world’s major shipping companies.
The port covers more than 100 hectares and has an annual
container handling capacity of around 2.5 million TEUs. Apart from container
goods, it also handles bulk and breakbulk, general cargo, ro-ro and passenger
vessels. The cruise berth is one of the most beautiful, decked with the latest
technologies and amenities to boost tourism on the island, also known for water
sports like scuba diving, snorkelling, pearl diving and fishing. Sea crabs and
fish are handled at one of the berths dedicated to small fishing boats.
The port includes a wharf spanning 1800 m with numerous
berths and a container handling facility covering 900 m2 endowed with 4 shore
cranes, capable of accommodating the biggest container ships. The container
terminal also comprises a multipurpose wharf to handle excess container
traffic.
The port is constructed on reclaimed land and has enough
land space for the construction of additional 5 berths. There are plans
regarding the same including increasing port equipment by buying 13 more cranes
and forklifts to increase the port’s capacity to 3 million TEU in the next 5
decades.
Al Manama Harbour
Also known as the Bahrain harbour, this is not a port or
cargo handling facility but a commercial project on the northern coastline of
the capital Manama. Spanning over 38 hectares, the buildings were constructed
on the reclaimed land comprising the old dock of the city.
The construction began in 2003 and the 2 harbour towers were
completed by 2007, having more than 50 floors and occupied by major private
players and also government departments such as the Ministry of Social
Development and Tourism etc. Another significant building is the harbour Gate
that comprises the country’s stock exchange while the Commerical Park houses
many international investment firms.
The harbour also houses many residential buildings and
luxurious apartments along with docks to receive yachts and cruise ships. The
project was aimed at attracting foreign businesses to set their offices in the
capital and boost the shipping sector since many shipping companies have their
regional offices in the Manama harbour.