The General Organisation of Sea Ports (GOP) was established on September 4, 2006 as a semi-government agency with a mission to develop Bahrain’s maritime industry and infrastructure and regulate its operation in line with the Kingdom’s Economic Vision 2030 development strategy.
The GOP’s overarching responsibility lies in guiding the development of strategies to position Bahrain as a global leader in the maritime industry. Falling within the GOP’s administration is the Bahrain Logistics Zone (BLZ) which was established by the GOP as a strategic pillar of the organisation’s vision for growth.
In order to meet this goal, the GOP works to ensure proper legislation is in place to regulate the industry whilst adhering to international maritime standards and conventions. It also provides the necessary services to clients in the maritime industry and ensures that Bahrain’s maritime infrastructure is fully developed to serve the needs of the industry.
The GOP’s main priorities include: 1) setting long-term goals aimed at stimulating the economy around the maritime industry and those industries related to it, 2) driving the global projection of Bahrain, and 3) providing adequate training and employment opportunities.
As a regulator, the GOP is responsible for supervising all maritime safety and environmental matters and ensuring adequate infrastructure is in place to serve the needs of the Kingdom’s seaports – especially the operations of the region’s newest state-of-the-art port, the Khalifa Bin Salman Port (KBSP) which is being managed by APM Terminals (APMT).