Mina Salman-Manama (Bahrain, Khalifa Bin Salman Port)

Port Mina Salman (code BHMIN) is Bahrain's principal seaport that also serves the country's capital city Manama. The port was a natural harbor prior to its establishment in 1962. Covering an area of 80 hectares (0,8 km2 / 0,3 mi2), Mina Salman is Bahrain's primary cargo port and customs point. The port has a total of 15 containership berths and handles ~2,5 million tons of cargo annually.

Bahrain's cruise port is Khalifa Bin Salman Port (code BHKBS) managed by APM Terminal Bahrain (UK-based private operator). Khalifa Bin Salman is located in Hidd Industrial Area, approx 13 km (8 mi) from Bahrain Airport. Khalifa Bin Salman is linked to Manama's old port (Mina Salman) via a 5 km (3 mi) long causeway. Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are linked via King Fahad Causeway (30 km / 19 mi long).

Khalifa Bin Salman Port (KBSP) was opened in 2009 and has a large quay wall (1,8 km / 1 mi long), water depth 15 m (49 ft) and gantry cranes with capacity to handle large boxships with max width 18 stacks. As facilities, Port Khalifa Bin Salman has Control Tower, Seafarers Center, ferry and cruise passenger terminal, Customs-Operation-Administration (3 separate buildings), Container Freight Station, Medical Center, 6x deepwater berths, 3x containership berths (each with length 300 m / 984 ft), finger jetties (for tugboats and small ships/boats), covered cargo storage area (60000 m2), container cargo warehousing area (24000 m2), export shed (18000 m2), open storage for general cargo (18000 m2).

Manama Harbour (Port Mina Salman's location) was first mentioned in Islamic texts from the mid-14th century. The waterway was not quite suitable for large-sized ships, and prior to 2009 (when KBSP became operational), large vessels had to anchor up to 6 km (4 mi) offshore. Approach channels were constructed in 1954, and the first pier was built in 1956. In 1958, Manama became a free port (free economic zone). In 1962 was opened a deepwater wharf (with 6 docking berths) allowing for the first time cargo ships to be handled directly in the port. During the 1960s, the port was expanded with storage facilities, heavy equipment and refrigeration for handling large vessels. In 1975, ~1,5 million tons of shipped cargo was handled. In the next decade, Bahrain's government launched several port expansion projects, including the Mina Salman Container Terminal (1979-inaugurated). Over 2/3 of the handled here cargo is containerized.

On December 6, 2014, was signed an agreement between the UK and Bahrain to build a Royal Navy base (HMS Jufair) at Port Mina Salman to support UK military vessels deployed in the Persian/Arabian Gulf. Construction works on the new naval base started in October 2015.

In 2018, the cruise port had scheduled a total of 33 ship calls with around 80,000 passengers.

For season 2023-2024 (October through April) the Port had scheduled 47 cruise ship calls/booked berthings. Of the 47 calls, 5 were maiden (first-time visits) by the companies Windstar (Star Legend), Ponant (Le Bougainville), NCL (Norwegian Dawn), MSC (MSC Virtuosa) and AIDA (AIDAprima). Other major cruise companies visiting Khalifa Bin Salman Port in 2023-2024 included the ultra-luxury travel brands Oceania, Silversea, Crystal, Phoenix Reisen.

Manama City is also Bahrain's largest city, with population around 200,000 (metro around 640,000). The city's current-day economy is largely based on petroleum, heavy industry (aluminum smelting), shipping (ship repairs), financial services (200+ banks and financial institutions), and tourism (hotels, retail shopping malls, small traditional workshops). During the steamship era (late-19th-early-20 centuries), Manama's economy was based on pearling (pearl hunting), shipbuilding, shipping trade (India-imported goods- rice, dates, coffee, tea, tobacco, livestock).

Bahrain International Airport (on Muharraq Island) is approx 7 km (4 mi) from Manama's CBD (central business district). In 2021 was completed a USD 1,1 billion (~EUR 920 million) airport expansion project. It increased the airport's annual passenger capacity to ~14 million. Regularly scheduled flights link Manama City with large airports in the UAE (Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Kuwait, Egypt, Iraq, Oman (Muscat), India (Delhi, Cochin, Mangalore), UK (London), Israel (Tel Aviv), Germany (Frankfurt), Holland (Amsterdam), Greece (Athens), France (Paris), Turkey (Istanbul), Syria, Russia (Moscow), Sri Lanka (Colombo), Ethiopia, Pakistan, Azerbaijan.