Mission is to offer the best marine products at competitive prices, ensuring customer satisfaction and fostering long-term relationships. It has been recognized as the Industrial Equipment Supplier of the Year 2023/24 by Prestige Awards Middle East.
Al Hassan Marine Services was established with a single objective to provide the best comprehensive marine services at competitive prices that can lead you to a luxurious lifestyle. It was founded by Mr. Hassan Saad Al Hassan, in response to the market demands. By 1999, the General Manager and the staff at that time and later contributed diligently and efficiently to the growth of the organization. By 2000, the organization had to effectively respond to the huge increase in demand in the local and Saudi markets.
With great efforts and unwavering commitment to the main goal of the organization, Al Hassan Marine Services has become well known locally, in some GCC countries, and in some foreign countries.
“By 2024, Al Hassan Marine Services has become the best trading company in the marine sector with a stock of more than 45,000 items,” shares Ali Al Hassan, Operations Manager.
Guiding Principle
Al Hassan Marine Services is dedicated to providing top-notch marine services with a strong emphasis on customer satisfaction and environmental responsibility. Their mission is to offer the best and most comprehensive marine products at competitive prices, ensuring a better marine lifestyle for their customers. They prioritize building good relationships by listening to customer needs and delivering the best solutions available.
The company is committed to selling marine goods that are environmentally friendly, reflecting their dedication to sustainability. Their vision is to become a well-known seller of marine products in the Kingdom of Bahrain, recognized for their quality and environmental stewardship.
Al Hassan Marine Services also emphasizes social responsibility, ensuring that its products contribute to the protection of the environment and marine life.
Comprehensive Services
Al Hassan Marine Services is a leading provider of marine accessories for yachts, ships, boats, marine electrical appliances, marine sports equipment, and fishing gear to fishermen in Bahrain and GCC countries. For more than 30 years, it has been expanding in providing marine tools, electronics, accessories, cleaning products, oils and lubricants, and repair of electrical and marine engines.
“Bahrain is a small market and competition-based strongly, years ago we could not control the demand and prices so where we draw the expansion plans to provide the best products at competitive prices,” says Ali.
Al Hassan Marine Services offers a wide range of products tailored to the needs of the marine industry. Their key products include:
Marine Spare Tools: Essential tools for the maintenance and repair of marine vessels.
Electrical Accessories: High-quality electrical components and accessories for marine applications.
Marine Services and Maintenance: Comprehensive services to ensure the optimal performance and longevity of marine equipment.
These products are designed to meet the highest standards of quality and reliability, catering to both commercial and recreational marine sectors.
An Adaptive Leader
Ali Al Hassan is a distinguished business leader with a diverse and impactful career. He has made significant contributions across various sectors, including technology, finance, and strategic consulting. Known for his innovative approach, Ali Hasan Al Hassan integrates cutting-edge technology and sustainable practices to drive business growth and efficiency. His leadership is characterized by a strong emphasis on ethical practices, customer-centric strategies, and long-term value creation.
At the beginning of Ali’s career, Al Hassan Marine Services did not have an internal organizational system such as recruitment, accounting, IT, and human resources. It was only a small organization that relied on certain people who played the role of salesman and accountant. His father, Mr. Hassan Saad Al Hassan, has a passion for trading and selling marine equipment. He is an engineer specializing in diesel engines and loves the sea as well. He did not have time to organize an internal organizational system. He always took Ali with him to the organization during the summer vacation. When Ali graduated from school at the age of seventeen, Mr. Hassan made him work with him as a salesman in 2007. During the period Ali was working as a salesman, there were many challenges that he faced. He had a dream to work on having the best internal organizational system for the family business and not relying on people who do not have the skills. He was able to keep up between his work and his university studies, and always tried to apply what he learned at university in the organization.
“One big challenge I faced was the difficulty of getting my father’s approval for internal changes. My father is from the old school and was always hesitant about change. My attempts to change did not stop. After one year of working in sales, I was able to understand the sales and accounting system. In 2008, I worked on developing the Human Resources Department for two years. In 2010, I developed the Accounting Department, recruited talent, and gave them powers. In 2011, and until today, I became the Operations Manager in the organization, where I try to focus on linking all departments and internal operations, developing them and monitoring them,” shares Ali. Ali’s leadership style is collaborative and adaptive. From the early stages of his career, he focused on leading by example and handling every detail. Over time, he learned that the most effective leadership comes from empowering others and fostering an environment where ideas flow freely. He believes that the best ideas can come from anyone—whether they’re on the deck of a ship, or behind a desk. He holds regular brainstorming sessions, and cross-departmental meetings to ensure that every voice is heard and every idea is explored. He now focuses more on strategic stewardship, trusting the expertise of those around him while providing direction and maintaining a clear vision.
Facing Challenges
One of the biggest challenges Ali faced in his career involved confronting an individual within the organization who was engaging in unethical behavior, specifically concealing sales information and embezzling funds. This individual had control over many aspects of the organization, making addressing the issue incredibly sensitive and complex.
First, Ali had to ensure that he had gathered indisputable evidence of misconduct before taking any action. This required meticulous attention to detail, as the trust within the organization in this employee made the situation extremely sensitive. Once he had solid evidence, the matter was handled with the highest levels of confidentiality and legitimacy. This employee was stripped of all authority and it became clear that these powers were not his responsibility in the first place.
The second challenge was to address the organizational weaknesses that allowed this situation to occur. Based on his findings, Ali initiated a series of changes, including internal audit, compliance, and risk management. These changes helped establish a system of checks and balances that would prevent any individual from exercising uncontrolled control in the future.
“We were able to not only address the immediate issue but also enhance the overall integrity of the organization,” says Ali.
Balancing Multiple Roles
Apart from being the Operations Manager at Al Hassan Marine, Ali is also a consultant, coach, and writer. Balancing multiple roles is challenging, but he uses the right strategies to prioritize effectively while maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Each role has its own demands, but not all tasks are equally urgent or important. As an operations manager in a family business, he has access to resources that can help lighten the load. He sometimes delegates routine tasks to trusted team members so he can focus on the strategic aspects of his other roles.
In 2018, he graduated from the university with MBA degree and on that time he start to convert his thesis to a book especially when there are few books in the region about family businesses, which is published on 2019 and the book related to “Factors Affecting Family Business Successions”. After that, the passion for writing and designing content did not stop as he wrote a special book for people how have a tendency to enter the world of commerce. This book contains 9 elements of the world of commerce and these elements were applied in several workshops he held in 2019, 2023, and 2024.
At the same time, writing and consulting can have more flexible deadlines, allowing him to schedule accordingly. It helps Ali to communicate with his family, clients, and team and understand his limits by scheduling regular breaks and hobbies into his daily routine.
“I stick to these boundaries to ensure I have time to recharge and clear my mind so I can be more productive and creative,” shares Ali.
Adapting to Modern Demands to Stay Ahead
The key to staying ahead in today’s highly competitive marine trade industry is what Al Hassan Marine Services strives for. It strives to keep up with new innovations in the global market and seeks to provide the latest technologically advanced marine tools, equipment, and accessories to ensure it remains a leader in the local trade. By forecasting market trends and anticipating demand fluctuations, it makes data-driven decisions that ensure it is always prepared for what’s coming.
Al Hassan Marine is taking bold steps to incorporate sustainability and eco-friendly practices into every aspect of its operations. It believes that the future of trade lies in balancing economic success with environmental stewardship. In early 2013, the organization decided to launch a social responsibility initiative (Keep Marine Environment Save), to deliver a message to the community to preserve the marine environment and wildlife through awareness.
“We developed a logo of a green coral, which is printed and attached to products that contain chemicals such as detergents, marine dyes, etc. to represent the organization’s responsibility to protect the marine environment and wildlife,” shares Ali.
In the fast-evolving marine trade industry, keeping up with trends, technology, and market demands is essential to maintaining a competitive edge. To sustain continued growth, Al Hassan Marine has developed strategic partnerships with key suppliers around the world. It has built its business on resilience and adaptability. Whether it is adapting to shifts in trade regulations and the labor market in the Kingdom of Bahrain, or responding to supply chain disruptions, it is quick to adapt its strategies to the changing landscape.
Keeping Clients at the Centre
Ali believes that Al Hassan Marine’s success comes from putting customers at the heart of everything they do. The organization has earned its reputation as a trusted partner by cultivating deep, long-term relationships built on trust, reliability, and personalized service. They anticipate obstacles and provide quick and effective solutions that keep their customers’ operations running smoothly. They maintain open lines of communication 24/7 customer support and keep our clients informed of our latest offers through social media.
“For over three decades, we have successfully navigated the ever-changing currents of the marine trade industry, consistently meeting the demands of our customers. As a trusted organization since 1992, our ability to adapt to changing market demands, listen to our customers, and anticipate our customers’ future requirements is the core of our success,” proudly says Ali.
Assessing the Trends, Opportunities, and Challenges in the Industry
As the marine trade industry continues to evolve, Al Hassan Marine is well-positioned to capitalize on emerging trends that are transforming the market – especially in the Middle East. With decades of experience and a forward-looking approach, they stay ahead of the curve by anticipating key trends. For example, the rise of luxury yachting, water sports, and tourism are a growing market in the Middle East, particularly in coastal hubs such as Bahrain, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Jeddah. The region has become a playground for high-net-worth individuals, and demand for luxury cruise ships, yachts, and premium marina services, and water sports such as water skiing, diving, and sailing is on the rise, especially with the emergence of new water sports centers and resorts. Al Hassan Marine is capitalizing on this opportunity by expanding its portfolio to include marine accessories specifically designed for luxury yachts, maintenance equipment, fishing supplies, and cleaning and maintenance services.
Now, coming to challenges, as global environmental awareness grows, stricter regulations are being imposed on the import of cleaning products, and lubricants for ships and yachts. The Supreme Council for the Environment in the Kingdom of Bahrain has set ambitious targets to limit the import and sale of these materials unless they meet industry standards and obtain an import certificate. While necessary, these regulations pose significant challenges for companies trying to balance sustainability with profitability. By adopting digital platforms to spread awareness to preserve the marine environment and wildlife, they can ensure compliance without compromising on profitability.
“Recent global events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, have exposed the fragility of global supply chains. Port closures, labor shortages, and unexpected delays have caused significant disruptions, increasing costs and straining customer relationships. Diversifying suppliers, using predictive analytics to anticipate potential disruptions, and developing contingency plans are key steps for us,” says Ali.
Plans Ahead
Over the next five years, Ali envisions personal and professional growth, closely aligned with the development and expansion of the family business in marine trade. On a personal level, his goal is to continue to hone his leadership and operational management skills and to play an increasingly strategic role in driving the business forward. He aims to foster an innovative, efficient, and sustainable work environment where the organization and its employees can thrive.
Parting Wisdom
Ali concludes this interaction with the following advice for budding entrepreneurs:
“My advice to budding entrepreneurs looking to enter the marine trade industry is to fully understand the complexity of the industry before diving in. Marine trade involves more than just selling, importing, and exporting; it requires in-depth knowledge of the market, local trade regulations, supply chain management, and especially financial management and the availability of liquidity that can impact the business.”
A Quote to live by:
“Don’t put off today’s work until tomorrow” is a quote that Ali absolutely lives by, and has found to be incredibly helpful in both his personal and professional life.
“In a fast-paced industry like marine trading, delaying decisions or tasks can lead to missed opportunities and unnecessary setbacks. By staying proactive and tackling tasks as they arise, I’ve been able to stay ahead of challenges and maintain a sense of control over my workload. This mindset not only improves efficiency but also builds discipline and reliability, both of which are essential for long-term success,” explains Ali.