13 July 2004
The Aluminum Bahrain (Alba) marine port terminal has been certified as compliant with the International Code for the Security of Ships and of Port Facilities (ISPS code), Alba announced yesterday.
"The certification was awarded on June 26, a week ahead of Bahrain's implementation of the international code, and is valid for five years," said Rashid Yousif, company marine superintendent.
"The ISPS code is a comprehensive set of measures to enhance the security of ships and port facilities that was developed in response to perceived threats to ships and port facilities."
He said the purpose of the code is to provide a standardised, consistent framework for evaluating risk, enabling governments to offset changes in threat with changes in vulnerability for ships and port facilities through determination of appropriate security levels and corresponding security measures.
A statement issued by the president of Customs, Ports and Free Zones on the implementation of the ISPS code in the Kingdom, said that, retroactive last July 1, all ships intending to use any port facility in Bahrain must comply with the code. The code, which applies to most of the world's merchant ships, stipulates that no berthing will be allowed unless both the port and the ship are certified.
"The Alba marine port terminal is the only port facility in the Kingdom with facilities to receive raw materials used in the production of aluminium," said Yousif. "This certification demonstrates that the company's port facilities are fully compliant with the new international code and allows us to continue to import and export raw materials from our port."
He said to earn the certification, a thorough investigation and study of Alba's port facilities was carried out by experts from a specialised company, MXM International, and a five-day training programme was conducted for company staff. "The required port assessment and plan reports were then handed over to the Bahrain port ISPS committee for recommendations and approval."
The company's port facilities include a jetty that can accommodate ships with a 60,000-tonne capacity, a jetty that can handle ships with a 40,000-tonne capacity, a calcined coke-ship loader to allow the company to export calcined coke from its calciner plant and an alumina vessel unloader and transport system to allow the company to import the main raw material used in the production of aluminium.
The Aluminum Bahrain (Alba) marine port terminal has been certified as compliant with the International Code for the Security of Ships and of Port Facilities (ISPS code), Alba announced yesterday.
"The certification was awarded on June 26, a week ahead of Bahrain's implementation of the international code, and is valid for five years," said Rashid Yousif, company marine superintendent.
"The ISPS code is a comprehensive set of measures to enhance the security of ships and port facilities that was developed in response to perceived threats to ships and port facilities."
He said the purpose of the code is to provide a standardised, consistent framework for evaluating risk, enabling governments to offset changes in threat with changes in vulnerability for ships and port facilities through determination of appropriate security levels and corresponding security measures.
A statement issued by the president of Customs, Ports and Free Zones on the implementation of the ISPS code in the Kingdom, said that, retroactive last July 1, all ships intending to use any port facility in Bahrain must comply with the code. The code, which applies to most of the world's merchant ships, stipulates that no berthing will be allowed unless both the port and the ship are certified.
"The Alba marine port terminal is the only port facility in the Kingdom with facilities to receive raw materials used in the production of aluminium," said Yousif. "This certification demonstrates that the company's port facilities are fully compliant with the new international code and allows us to continue to import and export raw materials from our port."
He said to earn the certification, a thorough investigation and study of Alba's port facilities was carried out by experts from a specialised company, MXM International, and a five-day training programme was conducted for company staff. "The required port assessment and plan reports were then handed over to the Bahrain port ISPS committee for recommendations and approval."
The company's port facilities include a jetty that can accommodate ships with a 60,000-tonne capacity, a jetty that can handle ships with a 40,000-tonne capacity, a calcined coke-ship loader to allow the company to export calcined coke from its calciner plant and an alumina vessel unloader and transport system to allow the company to import the main raw material used in the production of aluminium.
© Bahrain Tribune 2004
