A draft law covering safety regulations for light cargo ships that do not come under international maritime treaties in Bahrain has been approved by the Cabinet.

The new bill, which will be implemented across the GCC, has now been referred to the National Assembly.

The existing law only gives the right to Coastguards to deal with ships that are below 150 tonnes and the new law will enable the Transportation Ministry to deal with ships that weigh between 150 and 500 tonnes, reported the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.

The aim of the law is to standardise safety procedures, protect the maritime environment and achieve the security requirements needed for those types of ships.

It unifies the issuance of appropriate certificates for such vessels while enhancing the manning levels and proper operation of vessels, particularly passenger ships, the report stated.

Minister of State for Information Affairs and official government spokeswoman Sameera Rajab said the safety and security of ships was of importance to all GCC states.

The new bill was drawn up in line with a decision taken at the GCC Leaders Summit in Riyadh in December 2011.-TradeArabia News Service