The Aluminium 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).
The certification was awarded on 26 June 2004, one week ahead of Bahrain's implementation of the international code, and is valid for five years.
The ISPS Code is a comprehensive set of measures to enhance the security of ships and port facilities that was developed in response to the perceived threats to ships and port facilities.
The purpose of the Code is to provide a standardised, consistent frame work 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, effective from 1 July 2004, 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 birthing 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 the facilities to receive the raw materials used in the production of aluminium," said Rashid Yousif, the Alba Marine Superintendent.
"This certification demonstrates that Alba'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 through, investigation and study of our port facilities was carried out by experts from a specialised company, MXM International and a five day training programme was conducted for Alba staff," said Rashid. "The required Port Assessment and Plan reports were then handed over to the Bahrain Port ISPS Committee for recommendations and approval," he said.
Alba's port facilities include a jetty that can accommodate ships with a 60,000 tonnes capacity, a jetty that can accommodate ships with a 40,000 tonnes capacity, a calcined coke ship loader to allow Alba to export calcined coke from its calciner plant and an alumina ship unloader and transport system to allow Alba to import the main raw material used in the production of aluminium.
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© Press Release 2005
