MANAMA: King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa officially inaugurated Bahrain’s 137 million dinar new state-of-the-art Khalifa bin Salman Port (KBSP) at a ceremony held on Sunday.

Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al-Khalifa and Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, crown prince and deputy supreme commander, also attended the ceremony held at KBSP.

Chairman of the General Organization of Sea Ports (GOP) Sheikh Daij bin Salman bin Daij Al-Khalifa said the inauguration of KBSP would add a new dimension to the progress and development of the national economy. “The opening of this landmark project ushers in a new era of sophisticated port management and boosts Bahrain’s economic status on the regional and international levels in accordance with the economic vision 2030 for Bahrain,” said Sheikh Daij.

The opening of KBSP coincides with the Kingdom’s 38th National Day celebrations and the 10th anniversary of King Hamad’s accession to the throne.

Sheikh Daij, in his opening remarks, praised the efforts of all those involved in the development and completion of a world class project in Bahrain which, according to him, reinforces Bahrain’s status as an emerging hub for logistics business in the Middle East. The completion of this project is a result of King Hamad’s vision for a better and more competitive Bahrain, and Prime Minister Prince Sheikh Khalifa’s constant support for this ambitious project.

Sheikh Daij also thanked 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.

KBSP, occupying a land area of 110 hectares of reclaimed land in the northeast 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 136.3 million dinar port has a total quayside of 1,800 meters and is designed to accommodate a container capacity, measured as twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU), of more than 1.1 TEUs annually, as well as passengers, general break-bulk 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 15 million, the size of which are becoming commonplace in the Arabian Gulf as foreign trade increases and the region prospers.

“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 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 the Bahraini society, creating a better standard of living for citizens as it offers rewarding job opportunities for the people of Bahrain.