Industry, Logistics & Shipping

APM focuses on sustainable port development for KBSP

Sustainable port development continues to be a core focus area for APM Terminals Bahrain to drive the future growth of its Khalifa bin Salman Port (KBSP).
 
An invaluable part of Bahrain’s national infrastructure and growth, KBSP is operated by APM Terminals Bahrain for over a decade. The port, one of the most efficient ports in the region, has over 800 people working across a wide range of maritime and logistics operations and has 64% Bahrainisation. 
 
In line with its global philosophy, APM Terminals Bahrain has been investing in maritime infrastructure and social-technical skills of its employees to meet future demands of the transportation and logistics sector. Working towards making KBSP operations more efficient, the company operates with the 70/20/10 principle – which includes on-the-job experience, trainings which strengthen the interaction between managers and colleagues.
 
Taking this approach, APM Terminals Bahrain has introduced a Short-term Assignments (STA) initiative for its employees to have an opportunity to work across its global network of 74 operating ports and terminal facilities and over 117 Inland Services operations across 58 countries. As part of this, 10 employees, mostly Bahrainis, have been deputed at other APMT operated international ports such as the Moin Port - Costa Rica, MedPort Tangier – Morocco, Poti Sea Port - Georgia to help set-up, train and share best practices for new APM Terminal port operations with an opportunity to gain cross-cultural understanding and contribute towards building the global network.
 
Training opportunities have also been put in place to help employees gain a broader scope of knowledge and skills while enabling them to deliver a consistently high standard of port related services to their customers. These include an operating system for standardization of daily operations and compliance with global practices, the problem-solving methodology to tackle business challenges, lean for all coaching from senior management to on-ground staff combined with academic training and field practices.
 
“KBSP plays an important role for Bahrain as the Kingdom’s only commercial port and connection to world trade, working as an engine of economic development. With port operations evolving in line with market developments and innovating to integrate technology, it’s important for us to continue investing in training our people to ensure that our operations continue to function with increasing efficiency and safety,” said Susan Hunter, APM Terminals Bahrain CEO/Managing Director.
 
“To maintain this high level of diverse performance, processes are in place to identify and deliver further job specific training to our employees where necessary. Moreover, we also encourage our staff to contribute to business growth through challenging existing processes, getting involved in opportunities for improvement and by sharing their views both formally and informally.”
 
APM Terminals is committed to create a sustainable future for the communities in which it operates, contributing towards development of the local talent with opportunities to support the industry’s growing demand for quality maritime workforce, it said. – TradeArabia News Service