THE arrival at Khalifa Bin Salman Port of APL Antwerp, the largest container vessel yet to enter Bahrain’s waters, has been hailed as a “milestone” and a pointer to Bahrain’s growing position as a preferred transshipment hub.

The ship was welcomed by APM Terminals, the port’s operator, and APL’s local representative office. “The arrival of the 8,100 teu vessel is a milestone for KBSP,” said APMT chief commercial officer Simon Brebner.

“Strategically located, the KBSP has seen tremendous success in serving as a transshipment hub in the region, by meeting the growing requirements of the Northern Gulf markets. The arrival of APL Antwerp is a testament to KBSP being a preferred port for regional and international shipping lines and reflects the kingdom’s maritime capabilities of handling increasingly larger mainline carriers,” he said.

“We at APMT Bahrain are committed to playing a pivotal role in supporting the strategy to increase market penetration, with a compelling and unique value proposition which includes world-class operations matched by a competitive package of rates and services,” he said.

“This was reflected during APL Antwerp’s 16-hour port stay in Bahrain – a dedicated focus of providing safe and consistently high levels of operational efficiency, resulting in a fast vessel turnaround time which for shipping lines is an extremely valuable benefit.”

The vessel was on its Asia-Middle East schedule calling at Jebel Ali, Bahrain and Dammam before heading eastbound to Singapore and South Asia.