Bahrain Mirror: The local Bahraini Al-Wasat newspaper said that a number of Bahraini sailors brought forth a complaint at the Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning, stating that they are being affected by the governmental decision to raise fuel prices which increased their expenses by 40%.

Al-Wasat added that the sailors, who protested in front of the Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning headquarters in Al-Budai' on Monday (January 18, 2016), said the hike in fuel prices raised their expenses to 70% when they did not exceed 30% before

A number of sailors wondered why the government is not granting them subsidies on diesel as it does with bakeries, noting that big ships use diesel while small ones basically depend on fuel.

Some also said that they used to spend about 90 BD on fuel and now they are spending 165 BD, stressing that they are experienced sailors and depend on this profession to earn their living.

About 500 sailors across Bahraini were affected by the government's decision, while others stopped working at sea after the decision to raise fuel prices came into effect.

Arabic Issue