Around 150 owners of boats and yachts have relocated their vessels from the Marina Club in Bahrain, as part of preparations for a major revamp of the coastline.

A total of 335 vessels, including boats, yachts and jet skis, were given until yesterday to find a new place to dock to pave way for a 150,000sqm property development spearheaded by Amlak, a subsidiary of the Social Insurance Organisation, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

The Marina Club is located on a stretch of shoreline earmarked for the project, which includes a five-star hotel, apartments, waterfront villas, a shopping mall, marina and restaurants.

However, less than half the vessels have been relocated so far, despite being given a four-month grace period in January, said a Marina Club representative.

“Around 150 people have moved their vessels from the club until now and we are expecting the rest to relocate in the next couple of days,” he told the GDN yesterday.

“We are working in full capacity to co-ordinate the process for the owners during the weekend to make it as easy as possible for them.

“They were given a warning letter after the second quarter of last year and we even gave them a four-month period to dock their vessels free of charge since the beginning of this year.

“We still don't know what action we are going to take against those who refuse to remove it or leave it there for a long period.'

Bahraini Mahmood Nasser told the GDN he was forced to keep his boat outside his home in A'ali until he found a suitable place.

“I bought my boat around six years ago and docked it in the Marina Club ever since then,” said the 30-year-old.

“I am now taking it to my house in A'ali and will try to dock it at the Bahrain Yacht Club, but I cannot get a membership because they don't have space.

“It is also difficult for me to move it to Amwaj Marina because it is too far away from where I live.

“The Marina Club was the best location for me because it is in the middle, while the Bahraini Yacht Club is smaller and I don't guarantee finding a space for my boat there.”

Another boat owner, a 36-year-old German, said the club stopped selling fuel to fast-track the relocation process.

“They cut us off - power and water - and also stopped selling fuel which made many feel uncomfortable,' he said on the condition of anonymity.

“I was lucky that I got a place for my boat in Amwaj Marina but others don't have a place like me.”

However, the club representative denied cutting off power, but admitted the club stopped selling fuel.

“Water and power were not cut off, and fuel was not sold because it was just an additional service that we did not even have to do,” he added.

Work on the new development was originally scheduled for completion by 2019.

However, the GDN reported in March that officials from property developers Amlak said they were now aiming for a completion date of 2020. - TradeArabia News Service