Khalifa Bin Salman Port Operational Statistics for First Quarter of Operations
Posted: 22-11-2009 , 09:07 GMT
The General Organisation of Sea Ports (GOP) has released the operational statistics for the first quarter of operations, showing steady improvement in the overall efficiencies and turn over times at KBSP for the period. Running at full capacity, KBSP is capable of handling a throughput of 1.1 million TEU per year, with a total of 10,800 ground slots for containers (stacks of five containers).
“The new Port began operations earlier this year, on April 15th, when we welcomed the APL Dalian, the first container vessel to berth at KBSP”, commented Shaikh Daij bin Salman bin Daij Al Khalifa, Chairman of the GOP.
“This marked the beginning of the transition period from the Mina Salman facility to the Khalifa Bin Salman Port. Over the course of that period, we saw a steady increase in operational efficiencies, allowing for greater throughput and turnover of cargo and vessels as the port was brought up to speed. This is also due to the fact that both facilities, Mina Salman and KBSP, were being run in parallel by APM Terminals to allow the smooth transition from the old to the new port,” said Shaikh Daij.
The improvement is very apparent in terms of both berth and crane productivity. Looking specifically at the volume of goods imported, exported and re-exported from KBSP, general cargo throughput was 19.6% higher in June than in April, which represents a 17.3% increase over the same period in 2008.
Additionally, gate-turn times - the global standard defined by the amount of time required for trucks to enter the port, load or discharge a container and leave the port again - saw impressive improvement compared to the same period in 2008. This surge was mainly due to the design of KBSP’s infrastructure, which included sophisticated services comparable to those in the most renowned international ports, in addition to the installation of top-of-the-line equipment such as the new customs scanner and sophisticated gantry cranes. The port operators, APM Terminals, also played a significant role in these improvements, bringing its global experience in the management of international ports to bear in KBSP, positively reflecting on the overall performance improvements.
“We are extremely happy with these statistics, as they show a trend of continuous improvement for the first quarter of operations at KBSP. The new port is living up to our expectations and delivering on all fronts, and we look forward to celebrating this success in the near future” concluded Shaikh Daij.
The Khalifa bin Salman Port occupies an area of 110 hectares of reclaimed land and is located on the north-east of the Kingdom of Bahrain, only 13 kilometers away from Bahrain International Airport, and it is also linked to the road leading to the King Fahd Causeway. The port provides sea freight, shipping, and logistic services in accordance to the highest international specifications and standards in the industry.
The General Organisation of Sea Ports (GOP) has released the operational statistics for the first quarter of operations, showing steady improvement in the overall efficiencies and turn over times at KBSP for the period. Running at full capacity, KBSP is capable of handling a throughput of 1.1 million TEU per year, with a total of 10,800 ground slots for containers (stacks of five containers).
