APM Terminals Bahrain, the operators of the state-of-the-art Khalifa bin Salman Port, (KBSP), welcomed the inaugural Hanjin/NYK service. Shipping companies will now have access to a new and direct service to and from United States West Coast and Korea, a first for the Kingdom of Bahrain.
The agreement was signed by APM Terminals Bahrain with Nippon Yusan Kysha (NYK) Japanese company and Hanjin Shipping, a Korean company in Singapore, recently. The new service will directly connect international ports such as Singapore, Malaysia, Korea, Los Angeles and Shanghai before arriving in the Kingdom.
Strategically located, the KBSP has over the years seen tremendous success in serving as a trans-shipment hub in the region, by meeting the growing requirements of the Northern Gulf markets. The arrival of the new direct shipping service is a testament of KBSP being the preferred port for regional and international shipping lines and reflects Bahrain’s increasing maritime capabilities.
Commenting on the new shipping service, Simon Brebner, Chief Commercial Officer at APM Terminals Bahrain , said: “The excellent cooperation and support we have had from the Ports & Maritime Affairs, under the leadership of His Excellency, Minister of Transportation, has enabled us to sign this significant agreement for Bahrain. We are pleased to welcome this new direct service which will now open direct lines for shipping companies in the Kingdom and significantly boost transshipment activities thereby contributing to the Kingdom’s economy.”
“Furthermore, the direct call into Bahrain from two of the top ten Global Carriers, Hanjin (South Korea) and NYK (Japan) is a reflection of Bahrain’s increasing capabilities to provide trans-shipment opportunities to and from the Upper Gulf and we look forward to welcoming and delivering value to this service on a regular basis.”
This new service will arrive in Bahrain every Monday evening and will open up many opportunities for shippers and Carriers alike. Bahrain’s Free Trade Agreement with the US will complement the direct service to the West Coast, and ensure that the new shipping route will provide opportunities for further trade growth between the two countries. Furthermore, the service will increase the Kingdom’s access to new and competitive markets globally and will sit alongside the already well-established APL WAX (West Asia Express) service that has been calling directly from Asia to Bahrain since 2010.
KBSP is an icon of Bahrain’s continued maritime growth and development. Occupying an area of 110 hectares of reclaimed land, the KBSP is located on the northeast coast of the Kingdom of Bahrain. With a total quayside of 1800 metres, KBSP is designed to accommodate a container capacity of more than 1.0 million TEUs annually, as well as passengers, general break-bulk and roll-on/roll-off cargo. The port provides sea freight, shipping, and logistic services to the highest international standards in the industry. It is further complemented by the Bahrain Logistics Zone, a one square kilometre area that caters to logistics companies from across the globe.
APM Terminals, August 13, 2013