Mina Salman
| Mina Salman Port | |
|---|---|
 Click on the map for a fullscreen view | |
| Location | |
| Country | Bahrain |
| Location | Manama |
| Details | |
| Opened | 1962 |
| Operated by | General Organisation of Sea Ports - Bahrain |
| Type of harbour | Natural |
| Land area | 80 hectares |
| No. of berths | 15 [1] |
| Statistics | |
| Annual cargo tonnage | 2.5 million [1] |
| Annual revenue | BD 49,854 2009[2] |
| Website Mina Salman Port | |
Mina Salman (Arabic: ميناء سلمان ) is a seaport located in Manama, Bahrain. Mina Salman was a natural harbour prior to the port which was officially established in 1962 and covers an area of 80 hectares.[3] It is the primary port and customs point of Bahrain for cargo.[4] The port has 15 container berths enabling it to handle 2.5 million tonnes a year. [1]
Naming
The port is named after Salman ibn Isa al-Khalifa, the grandfather of the current King.[5]
History
Mina Salman was first mentioned in Islamic texts dating to 1345 AD.[6] The port was occupied by the Portuguese in 1521, and the Persians in 1602.[6] The harbour was not suitable for ocean liners, with reports of ships having to anchor up to 6 km offshore.[6] Approach channels were built in 1954 and a pier was built in 1956, which was mainly used by dhows.[5] In 1958, it became a free port and in 1962, construction for a deep water wharf comprising of six berths was completed.[6] The wharf allowed cargo to be directly loaded onto the port for the first time. In the 1960s, the port had refrigeration, storage facilities and equipment for handling large ships.[6]
In 1975, 1.5 million tonnes of cargo was handled in the port, which lead to severe overcrowding.[7] [8] This lead the Bahraini government to launch a series of expansions in the next decade, leading to the opening of the Mina Salman Container Terminal in 1979.[8] The port was also the only port in the Persian Gulf to be entirely operated by the home country's nationals.[8] Over 80% of the port's cargo is containerised.[8]
Facilities
The port consists of an 800m long finger pier, which comprises of 10 berths. 3 additional 200m conventional berths are located next to the finger pier and two 300m container berths with a depth of 11m.[8]An Outer arm quay of 285m, alongside a 7m depth draught and storage space consists of 10 sheds plus additional open storage and container storage areas totaling 538,000m sq, are present.[3] The cargo handling area covers an area of 60,000m sq.[3] [6]
References
- ^ a b c "Logistics and Infrastructure". Bahrain Economic Development Board. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
- ^ "Shipping & Seamen Registration – 2009 Statistics". GOSP Bahrain. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
- ^ a b c "Mina Salman Port". General Organisation of Sea Ports - Bahrain. Retrieved 4 July 2012. Cite error: The named reference "GOSP" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ "Ports of Bahrain". GOP. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
- ^ a b "Mina Sulman". Globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f "Mina Salman". World Port Source. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
- ^ "Mina Salman" (PDF). Gateway Newsletter. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
- ^ a b c d e "Mina Sulman Port Information" (PDF). alsharifbahrain.com. Retrieved 4 July 2012.