KBSP running at 45% capacity

That’s according to Mark Hardiman, chief executive and managing director of facility operator APM Terminals (APMT) Bahrain, who said that the port hopes to more than double the size of its operations, explaining that APMT Bahrain aimed to make “the full use” of the dock in the coming years.

Speaking to the Gulf Daily News, the chief executive said that KBSP currently has spare capacity and that if demand increases as AMPT Bahrain expects, it will be expanded, but noted that before the company invested further, it needed to fully utilise the unused capacity the port currently has.

The port’s container terminal is designed for a capacity of about 1m tonnes, he said, but at the moment, 400,000 to 450,000 containers are being handled, with that mainly being gateway cargo for Bahrain.

“What we are trying to do is to secure more transhipment cargo, which is really the way to grow to bring more volumes into Bahrain,” Mr Hardiman explained.

“So that is mostly targeting the upper Gulf, which is Kuwait and Iraq, and it is part of our commercial strategy.”

The chief executive said that this year, APMT Bahrain will be actively working on offering a number of transport and logistical solutions, or value-added services, to its Bahrain customers — including end-user services like cargo stuffing and stripping and bonded storage of goods at the KBSP facility.

He also noted that the port is working on launching a self-service portal that will let customers track shipments, book appointments and make payments online.

The tool is anticipated to be launched by the second quarter of this year at the latest.