Bahrain-based Arab Shipbuilding and Repair Yard (Asry) will be a strategic sponsor of a major maritime festival being launched this year to mark Bahrain's celebrations of World Maritime Day (WMD).

Bahrain Maritime Festival 2010 (BMF), organised by the General Organisation of Sea Ports (GOP), runs from September 20 to 24.

This year's WMD theme, Year of the Seafarer, shines the spotlight on the individuals who form the backbone of the entire industry, the seafarers of yesterday, today and the future.

The WMD is an annual initiative carried out by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) that aims to commemorate the international maritime industry's contribution towards the global economy, specifically in the shipping and logistics sectors.

'Supporting this year's maritime festival through this partnership with the GOP is a point of pride for us at Asry,' said Asry chief executive officer Chris Potter.

'The shipping and logistics industry is massive, and the individuals who act as the cogs in the machine, more often than not, get lost in the vastness of the industry.”

'But without their efforts, without their dedication and their sacrifices, much of how the world operates in this day and age, would come to a standstill. Our support of the festival is a way for us to join the rest of the industry in saying thank you to seafarers all over the world,' he added.

'We are very pleased that Asry is a strategic sponsor of the festival,' said GOP director general Hassan Ali Ammajed.

'The support is testament to the importance of Bahrain's unique initiative to celebrate WMD, and we are looking forward to making this event a success, in partnership with Asry and other sponsors,' he added. – TradeArabia News Service