STC boosts fleet strength

Southern Tourism Company (STC), a wholly owned subsidiary of Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company (Mumtalakat), yesterday announced signing a deal to buy a commercial passenger boat from H Al Dhaen Boats. The boat, for transporting visitors to and from Hawar Islands, where Hawar Beach Hotel is located, brings STC’s fleet strength to 15.

The agreement was signed at Mumtalakat’s headquarters by Captain Abdulla Abdulrazaq Al Murbati, Acting Chief Executive Officer of Southern Tourism Company, and Stefan Whitmarsh, Chief Executive Officer of H Al Dhaen Boats. “The new boat commissioned will be equipped with state-ofthe-art navigation equipment, ensuring high quality performance and safe maritime transport,” said Captain Al Murbati.

With this purchase, STC’s fleet will be augmented by its eleventh commercial boat (as it currently includes four vessels for logistical transport services). This is in line with the company strategy to better serve visitors of Hawar Islands and the Hawar Beach Hotel, for which the number of visitors are expected to increase in 2019. Reflecting on the agreement, on behalf of H Al Dhaen Boats, CEO Stefan Whitmarsh added, “We are currently reviewing a number of agreements which will hopefully be signed in the near future.”

Mumtalakat holds a 90 per cent stake in H Al Dhaen Boats. STC recently announced an increase in the number of hotel guests during the period from January to November 2018 by 73pc, representing an increase from 3,183 guests in 2017 to 5,518 guests for the same period. The hotel’s occupancy rate has also increased by 68pc till end of November this year, in comparison to the same period last year.