Marine Assessment

9th Marine Assessment, 2021

We have been conducting regular marine assessments around the Bapco Refinery and Sitra operating facilities since 1981, using the same well known international experts who work for the World Maritime University, International Maritime Organisation and the Lund University in Sweden. The same stations have been visited measuring the same parameters, providing a unique insight into anthropogenic impact for 40 years. The survey is one of the longest running of its type in the region and followed the same protocol as in previous studies (1981, 1987, 1992, 1997, 2002, 2007, 2011 and 2015) to continue to provide consistent data to observe long term trends. The different variables measured supported analysis of long term ecosystem health.

The 9th marine assessment was carried out in 2021 as part of our commitment to the monitoring, preservation and improvement of our marine environment, providing some of the most comprehensive data of its type in Bahrain. The surveyed area covered the coastal waters outside the industrialized northeastern coast of Bahrain. Samples were collected from south of Askar along the coast towards the north and included parts of the reef area towards the east, along Sitra island and the jetty used by Bapco.

The survey has confirmed the continuing impact of land reclamation and other industrial activities on ecosystem diversity. However, for some important pollutants the concentrations in collected samples continue to decrease - for example petroleum hydrocarbons where an improvement is noted in the sample data compared to data from two decades previously. Pollutant levels from samples taken in waters outside the Refinery are not significantly different from those found in the larger survey area, or indeed compared to other areas in the Gulf near industrial areas.