Khalifa Bin Salman Port (KBSP) continues to be open for business despite the global supply chain being negatively impacted due to the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak, Transportation and Telecommunications Minister Kamal Ahmed said yesterday during a live webinar.

 

Hosted by APM Terminals (APMT), the virtual gathering included GCC and international experts from various sectors, the Economic Development Board (EDB), the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) and Bahrain Shipping Agents Association.

 

The session titled: “Maintaining Resilient Supply Chains Through Crisis”, was opened by HE the Minister, and examined how the Kingdom of Bahrain has successfully maintained a resilient supply chain throughout the coronavirus outbreak and the massive disruptions caused around the world.

 

“The co-ordination committee, chaired by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander, First Deputy Prime Minister and the Government of Bahrain has implemented a comprehensive and effective plan in combating COVID 19, the evidence of which is the business continuity that we have witnessed across most industries.  By remaining operational, we have worked to protect the business community while ensuring top safety standards,” Kamal Ahmed said.  

 

“Although the global supply chain is indeed negatively impacted, Khalifa Bin Salman Port has been and continues to be open for business,” he added. 

 

Organised by FinMark Communications, the virtual panel discussion saw participation from supply chain partners in the kingdom including APMT Bahrain chief executive Susan Hunter, BCCI transportation and logistics committee chairman Ahmed Al Nemah, Mondelez Bahrain Biscuits plant director Omar Nassef, Foulath Holding general manager for supply chain Eman Ebrahim, Bahrain Shipping Agents Association chairman Balaji Ardhanari, and EDB director of manufacturing, transportation and logistics business Ali Al Mudaifa.

 

The session was moderated by KPMG’s Munich-based global supply chain expert Dr Christopher Hoeckel.

 

Panelists shared insights and a first-hand account of the coordinated and swift actions taken on multiple fronts to safeguard the integrity of the supply chain and business continuity for Bahrain through this unprecedented global crisis. The session also saw speakers address the challenges faced, how actions taken during the crisis can be leveraged to build even more resilience as well as strategies to accelerate recovery. 

 

Commenting, Susan Hunter, CEO of APMT, said: “We’re delighted to have facilitated the opportunity for our partners across Bahrain’s supply chain, including key public and private sector representatives, to gather together virtually to discuss and showcase the exceptional levels of cooperation and robust response that enabled us to keep business moving in the Kingdom during extremely challenging and unprecedented conditions and indeed over the past ten years – a milestone we recently celebrated marking a decade of successful operations of the Khalifa Bin Salman Port (KBSP).” 

 

“The session gave our partners the chance to share the strategies they employed whilst also looking at and exploring new and innovative ways in which we can continue to come together. We look forward to building on these discussions and using the valuable insights and lessons that have emerged over the course of this crisis to make even further enhancements enabling Bahrain’s supply chain to emerge stronger than ever,” she added. –TradeArabia News Service