Bahrain’s Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications (MTT) has opened bids for a consultancy contract to undertake an economic feasibility study for the deepening and standardisation of the Bahrain Main Approach Channel.

The study is intended to support Bahrain’s strategy of strengthening its position as a regional maritime and logistics hub by ensuring the navigation channel can accommodate larger vessels safely and efficiently.

According to tender documents, the selected consultant will be required to assess and quantify the economic and operational impacts of achieving a uniform channel depth under various development scenarios, while ensuring alignment with Bahrain Economic Vision 2030.

The ministry issued the tender on 21 April 2026. The original bid submission deadline of 13 May was subsequently extended first to 1 June and later to 11 June 2026.

A total of seven companies submitted bids for the request for proposals (RFP).

Moffatt & Nichol Engineering Consultancy submitted the lowest accepted bid at 76,972 Bahraini dinars ($204,000).

Other accepted bidders included Al Hadi Engineering at BHD 93,500 ($248,000), KPMG Advisory at BHD 297,180 ($788,000), EY Consulting at BHD 227,208 ($603,000), and Lloyd’s Register EMEA at BHD 124,652 ($331,000).

The bids submitted by HaskoningDHV Nederland Dubai Branch at BHD 109,560, and Tanger Med Engineering at BHD 52,800 were listed as suspended.

Bahrain’s Main Approach Channel connects the Kingdom's Khalifa bin Salman Port (KBSP) to international shipping lanes in the Arabian Gulf. The Main Approach Channel comprises a 30-nautical-mile navigation channel with a minimum width of 250 metres and a declared depth of 13.4 metres below Chart Datum, according to Arab Sea Ports Federation data.

(Writing by Deva Palanisamy; Editing by Anoop Menon) (anoop.menon@lseg.com)

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