Bahrain The General Organisation of Sea Ports (GOP), 'committed to marine protection'

The General Organisation of Sea Ports (GOP), Bahrain, said it has started working with its counterparts across the GCC to enhance the level of protection of the marine environment in the region.

The GOP also vowed to protect the marine and atmospheric environment at all of Bahrain’s ports within its territorial waters and on board Bahrain registered ships as well as those ships calling at Bahrain ports. The pledge was made at a ceremony held in Manama to mark the World Maritime Day (September 21 to 25).

This reaffirmation of vision by the GOP is in line with the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) choice of theme for this year: “Climate Change: a challenge for IMO too!,” said a senior official.

Commenting on the occasion, Shaikh Daij bin Salman bin Daij Al Khalifa, chairman of the GOP said, 'The Kingdom of Bahrain is fully committed to co-operating and supporting all initiatives and recommendations made by the IMO.'

'As the regulatory authority of the sea ports of Bahrain, the GOP has begun working in co-operation with its counterparts throughout the GCC to enhance the level of protection of the marine environment throughout the entire region. This comes at an especially opportune time due to the recent declaration in August 2008 of the Gulf region as a “Special Area” with regard to the discharge of oil,' he noted.

Working with recognized international organizations, the GOP will implement a number of initiatives, ranging from the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) which stipulates requirements for new ships and the Energy Efficiency Operational Indicator (EEOI) which covers the requirements for existing ships, to “Cold Ironing”, a concept that ensures that small crafts on berth at our ports switch off their main and auxiliary engines and connect to the electrical power supplied by the ports, thereby reducing their carbon emissions.

'I hope that the forthcoming United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of Ministers and Heads of State, scheduled to be held in Copenhagen this December, will prove to be a landmark event and will add further momentum to the global efforts in combating climate change,” Shaikh Daij added.

Other initiatives underway in Bahrain include the upgrade of heavy-industry refineries and their facilities in order to better protect the environment, he noted.

Leading the way is Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco), which, has recently invested hundreds of millions of dollars to set up a low sulphur diesel plant that will improve the quality of diesel produced.

These initiatives fall under the scope of the Public Commission for the Protection of Marine Resources, Environment and Wildlife, which is charged with monitoring and regulating the flow of all Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) to protect the ozone layer.

Shaikh Daij wholeheartedly endorsed the message from IMO secretary-general Efthimios E. Mitropoulos on the occasion of World Maritime Day 2009.

'To succeed in combating climate change, we must work together and play our part with the seriousness that the circumstances demand.  If the problem pays no heed to man-made borders, then neither can the solution,' he noted.

'We all have a responsibility to take bold, comprehensive and co-ordinated action that not only jump-starts the recovery of the planet but also launches a new era of serious and meaningful engagement to prevent a crisis, like the one we are facing at present, from worsening or recurring,' he stated.

Shaikh Daij pointed out that Bahrain was a proud signatory to the Kyoto Protocol of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, and is an active member of the IMO.

'We attach a high priority to the protection of both the marine and atmospheric environments and will continue to extend full support to all regional and global initiatives in this regard,' he added.