Mina Sulman Port
UN/LOCODE BHMIN · Bahrain · Middle East · 13
Crew guide
Shore leave
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.
Walking distance + transit
Mina Sulman is 5-10 minutes from central Manama and the Bahrain Financial Harbour district by taxi. The King Fahd Causeway to Saudi Arabia is 25 km west; crossing requires a Saudi visa which most seafarers won't have.
Essentials
- ATMs: Ahli United Bank, Al Salam Bank, Standard Chartered — everywhere
- Money changers: Bahrain Financing Company, Al Rajhi in the malls and souq
- Hospital: BDF Hospital, Salmaniya Medical Complex (public), American Mission Hospital
- Prayer rooms: default (majority-Muslim country)
- Halal food: default; alcohol available in licensed hotels and restaurants
- Supermarket: LuLu, Carrefour, Al Jazira in the major shopping centres
- SIM card: Batelco, STC, Zain at the airport or any mall
Seafarer tips
Do: enjoy the more relaxed dress code + presence of licensed venues compared with Saudi Arabia or Sharjah. Don't: engage in political discussions about the 2011-onwards internal tensions or the ongoing regional situation. Watch for: Bahrain sits between Saudi + Qatar geopolitically; occasionally-changing border rules for third-country nationals. Confirm visa status before planning shore leave.
Last verified: 2026-07-01. Confirm with ship's agent before going ashore — local policy changes.
Mina Sulman Port (UN/LOCODE BHMIN) is a designated seaport in Bahrain (13) in the tropical northern Indian Ocean region. The port operates on Asia/Bahrain, uses the Bahraini Dinar (BHD), runs shore power at 230V/50Hz (Type G). Nearest major airport for crew changes is Bahrain International Airport (BAH), 8 km from the port.
Reference
- Coordinates
- 26.2, 50.6167
- Time zone
- Asia/BahrainUTC +03:00no DST
- Local currency
- BHD— Bahraini Dinar
- Languages
- ar, en
- Nearest airport
- BAHBahrain International Airport~8 km
- Electricity
- 230 V50 Hzplugs G(country default — verify at berth)
- Climate
- BWhHot desert
Country-coastal Köppen zone (most ports cluster on the coast). For port-coordinate resolution use Kottek 2006 0.5° grid.
- Function codes
- 1-------
seaport
Operational details
Compiled from public port-authority and P&I-club directories. Always verify current contacts via your agent before arrival.
Pilotage / VTS
Bahrain VTS / Mina Salman Port Control
- VHF: Ch 16 / 12 / 13
- Phone: +973 1773 2000
- Web: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mina_Salman
P&I correspondents
- · Clyde & Co Manama (Gard, UK Club)
- · Holman Fenwick Willan Bahrain (Britannia)
- · Al Tamimi & Company Bahrain
Port agents
- · GAC Bahrain
- · Inchcape Bahrain
- · Ultramar Agency Bahrain
ISPS security level (normal): 1
Historic Arabian Gulf hub; Saudi Causeway proximity; ALBA aluminium smelter cargo; Gulf swells can limit small craft; Iran-trade sanction checks apply.
Helplines for seafarers in Bahrain
Welfare, abandonment, wages, medical, mental health, harassment — 24/7 lines where available. See full helplines directory.
- Mission to Seafarers BahrainMiddle East · Daily · en, ar, tl
- ISWAN SeafarerHelpGlobal · 24/7 · en, ar, es, fr
- ISWAN Mental Health & Wellbeing helplineGlobal · 24/7 · en, es, ru, tl
- ITF SeafarersGlobal · 24/7 for emergencies · en
- ISWAN — Family helpline (for relatives of seafarers)Global · 24/7 · en, hi, tl
- ISWAN Yacht Crew HelplineGlobal · 24/7 · en
Other ports in Bahrain
Port-state-control region: riyadh MoU · how to file a PSC complaint.
Mina Sulman Port: seafarer FAQ
- Is shore leave allowed at Mina Sulman Port?
- Shore leave at Mina Sulman Port is governed by Bahrain immigration rules, the flag administration's policy, and the port authority's local rules. Seafarers normally need their seaman's book + a shore-leave permit issued by the agent. Confirm with your agent before going ashore — local policy changes frequently.
- What visa or shore-pass do I need for Mina Sulman Port?
- Seafarers calling at Mina Sulman Port on a vessel are generally exempt from regular tourist visas under Convention 108 / 185 (Seafarers' Identity Documents) if their flag administration has ratified the convention and they hold an SID. The standard document is the seaman's book + ship's crew list. Bahrain may also require a shore pass issued by the agent. Confirm before you board the vessel — visa rules vary by nationality and by recent immigration-policy changes.
- Is there a seafarer welfare centre at Mina Sulman Port?
- Yes — 1 seafarer welfare centre is listed for Mina Sulman Port in our directory. The centres are typically run by the Mission to Seafarers, Stella Maris (Apostleship of the Sea), or a regional ministry, and offer wifi, transport, shop, chaplaincy, and advocacy. Walk-in is normal; no appointment needed.
- Is there a crisis or welfare helpline I can call from Mina Sulman Port?
- Yes — 6 helplines are listed for Bahrain in our directory, plus ISWAN's 24-hour multilingual SeafarerHelp (+44 20 7323 2737) and the ITF Helpline. Helplines handle crisis support, abandonment, wage theft, mental health, and bereavement.
- What's the nearest hospital to Mina Sulman Port?
- Most major ports have a port-area hospital with seafarer-accustomed admissions; the welfare centre and the ship's agent can both advise. For serious cases, the nearest international hospital is normally in the same city or the next major city. The nearest major airport is Bahrain International Airport (BAH), about 8 km away — useful for medevac planning.
- Is Mina Sulman Port a recognised crew-change port?
- Yes — Mina Sulman Port is listed in our directory of recognised crew-change hubs, consolidated from IMO MSC.1/Circ.1636, ICS/IFSMA briefings, and ITF priority-port reports. Recognised hubs typically have better port-state and immigration facilitation for crew-change operations, faster visa processing for seafarers, and more welfare-centre presence.
For the arriving crew
- Pilot ladder (SOLAS V/23) — rigging + inspection + Master's duty of care.
- Pre-arrival checklist — the standard bridge + engine + agent workflow before entering port.
- Ships' agent — role + documentation + interface with pilotage + tug + immigration.
- Currency at port — cash-carrying limits + declaration + safe practices.
- Hours of rest — STCW VIII/1 + MLC A2.3 rest rules during port operations.
Sources & verification (12)
- country_iso3 · ISO 3166-1 (BH)retrieved 2026-05-05
- country_name · ISO 3166-1 (BH)retrieved 2026-05-05
- currency_code · ISO 4217:2015 (BHD)retrieved 2026-05-05
- currency_name · ISO 4217:2015 (BHD)retrieved 2026-05-05
- languages · CIA World Factbook (public domain), national-language listing (BH)retrieved 2026-05-05
- timezone_iana · IANA tz database (Asia/Bahrain)retrieved 2026-05-05
- timezone_utc_offset · ECMA-402 Intl.DateTimeFormat (computed) (Asia/Bahrain)retrieved 2026-05-05
- timezone_dst · ECMA-402 Intl.DateTimeFormat (computed) (Asia/Bahrain)retrieved 2026-05-05
- electricity · IEC TR 60083 plug-and-socket standard list (BH)retrieved 2026-05-05
- function_codes_expanded · UNECE Rec. 16 — UN/LOCODE function-code mask (1-------)retrieved 2026-05-05
- nearest_major_airport · OurAirports (CC0) — davidmegginson.github.io/ourairports-data (BAH)retrieved 2026-05-07
- climate_classification · Kottek et al. 2006 / Beck et al. 2018 — country-coastal Köppen zone (BH)retrieved 2026-05-07
Last verified
High confidenceEditorial confidence: how we grade. Data sources and methodology: /sources.