Bahrain’s Arab Shipbuilding & Repair Yard Company (Asry) on Sunday celebrated its 35th anniversary in style with the opening of a new 1.38 km repair quay wall.

The company is owned by countries that make up Organisation of Arab Petroleum Producing Countries (OAPEC) including Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Iraq and Libya.

The quay wall was officially inaugurated by HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander during a colourful ceremony held under the patronage of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa at the Asry headquarters in Hidd.

Speaking at the launch ceremony, Asry chairman Shaikh Daij bin Salman Al Khalifa said the opening was in line with Asry's $188 million facility expansion programme which includes the 200,000 sq m offshore fabrication and load-out area.

Shaikh Daij termed it as a significant milestone for Bahrain’s maritime sector and the ship repair and maintenance industry and lauded the commitment, hard work and concerted efforts of all those involved in implementing the expansion programme.

He also paid tributes to the wise leadership of His Majesty whose vision for a more competitive Bahrain has helped to inspire developments such as the new repair wall.

'It will further enhance regionally and internationally the Kingdom’s reputation as a major maritime centre and contribute significantly to realising the objectives of Bahrain Economic Vision 2030,' said Shaikh Daij.

Now in its fourth decade of operations, Asry has already established itself as a world leader in shipbuilding sector.

Since commencing operations in October 1977, Asry has continued to expand its repair facilities which now include – in addition to quay wall - a 500,000 dead weight tonnage (dwt) capacity graving dock, two floating docks capable of accommodating vessels up to 80,000dwt and 120,000dwt respectively, two of the largest slipways in operation in the region and 15 repair berths.

All three dry docks and the two slipways are backed-up by a comprehensive array of workshops, which cater to a variety of vessels, large and small.

Asry CEO Chris Potter said the Kingdom’s strategic location and maritime capabilities have enabled Bahrain to become a maritime hub and a key industry player over the years.

According to him, Asry enjoys vast experience in providing a wide range of  high-quality maritime associated services  to the highest international standards, in addition to state-of-the art facilities and highly qualified staff.

'This has turned Asry into one of the world’s largest and most efficient ship repair and conversion yards that does not only support the local economy, but also stimulates the region’s fast growing maritime industry.'

'We are confident today’s milestone and Asry’s expansion will have profitable investment returns to the economy and the overall industry,' he added.

The event also hosted Abbas Ali Al Naqi, the OAPEC secretary general as a guest speaker, who congratulated Bahrain on the new maritime milestone.

He dubbed it as a pioneering step emphasizing the Kingdom’s leading position as a maritime hub in the regional and international markets.

“Over the years, this yard has developed into a world-class one-stop-shop serving ship owners regionally and internationally,' remarked Al Naqi.

He said this success was also as a result of the continued support and encouragement of the Arab shareholding countries, in addition to the host country, Bahrain.

Attributing Asry's success to the strong support of the leadership of Bahrain, the shareholding countries and efforts of the management and workers, Al Naqi wished them 'continued success and prosperity for the future.'

Chris Hayman, the chairman of Seatrade the International maritime publishing, conference and exhibition company, congratulated Asry on its continuous efforts to upgrade facilities and keep pace with the demands of the marine and offshore sectors for the past 35 years.

Citing the importance of Asry in the maritime business in Bahrain and the Gulf, Hayman lauded the company for its commitment to the green agenda for which it was recognised with a Seatrade Award for Corporate Social Responsibility in 2010.

Following the inauguration, HRH Crown Prince toured an exhibition of exclusive photos showing the growth of Asry over its 35 years of operations.

Asry has grown since its establishment in 1974 from repairing only super tankers to now being able to work on every conceivable type of commercial, seagoing vessel.

Its specialist capabilities include chemical tankers, gas tankers, dredgers, container ships, bulk carriers and general cargo ships, tugs and offshore support vessels.-TradeArabia News Service