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UN/LOCODE BHMIN · Bahrain · IMO-designated crew-change hub
Mina Sulman Port is one of 115 ports named in IMO Circular MSC.1/Circ.1636 as a designated crew-change hub. Ports made the list on the basis of accessible international airports, established agent networks, welfare-centre infrastructure, and — during the pandemic — visa-facilitation frameworks that allowed sign-on and sign-off crew to transit without lengthy quarantine. That combination continues to make these ports the practical corridors most seafarers move through today.
Nearest major airport for crew changes is Bahrain International Airport (BAH), roughly 8 km from the port. Confirm the exact terminal handover point with the ship's agent — many hubs have multiple terminals with different immigration processes.
Mina Sulman is Bahrain's principal commercial port, on Manama's south side. Shore leave is granted to seafarers with a seaman's book + shore pass under Bahraini procedure — friendlier and less bureaucratic than Saudi Arabia across the causeway. Bahrain is broadly cosmopolitan and English-speaking. Mission to Seafarers operates in Manama.