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In celebration of World Maritime Day 2009, Bahrain's General Organisation of Sea Ports has reaffirmed its dedication to the cause of protecting marine and atmospheric environment at all of Bahrain's ports, within its territorial waters and on board Bahrain-registered ships as well as those ships calling at Bahrain ports.
This reaffirmation of vision by the GOP is in line with the International Maritime Organisation's (IMO) choice of theme for this year: 'Climate Change: a challenge for IMO too!'
As the regulatory authority of the sea ports of Bahrain, the GOP has begun working in co-operation with its counterparts throughout the GCC to enhance the level of protection of the marine environment throughout the entire region. This comes at an especially opportune time due to the recent declaration in August 2008 of the Gulf region as a 'special area' with regard to the discharge of oil.
Working with recognised international organizations, the GOP will implement a number of initiatives, ranging from the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) which stipulates requirements for new ships and the Energy Efficiency Operational Indicator (EEOI) which covers the requirements for existing ships, to 'cold ironing', a concept that ensures that small crafts on berth at our ports switch off their main and auxiliary engines and connect to the electrical power supplied by the ports, thereby reducing carbon emissions.
Other initiatives underway in Bahrain include the upgrade of heavy-industry refineries and their facilities in order to better protect the environment. Leading the way is Bapco, which, has recently invested hundreds of millions of dollars to set up a low sulphur diesel plant that will improve the quality of diesel produced.
