Saudi Arabia Hosts Reception and Dinner Celebrating Candidature for Re-election to The IMO

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia under the patronage of His Excellency Eng. Saleh Al-Jasser, Minister of Transport and Logistic Services of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and His Royal Highness Prince Khalid bin Bandar Al Saud, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, hosted diplomats and dignitaries to celebrate their candidature for re-election as a Council Member of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) at the Savoy Hotel in London on the 2nd of November.

His Excellency Dr. Rumiah Al-Rumaih Vice President of Transport and Logistic Services of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and International Maritime Organization Secretary-General Kitack Lim, and current Director of Marine Environment Division, Incoming Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez, joined more than 170 guests from over 72 countries including 25 Ambassadors and High Commissioners, Permanent Representatives, and senior maritime representatives.

Guests were treated to a showcase of Saudi Arabian culture with Saudi dates and coffee being served as well as the performance of an Arabic oud player. Guests also had the opportunity to have their names drawn up for them by an Arabic calligrapher.

The event highlighted key initiatives the Kingdom is focusing on within the IMO and beyond. Projects such as Vision 2030 which acts a catalyst for Kingdom’s plan to build a more sustainable future while building a diverse and developing economy. Saudi funded project at the IMO, IMO Coordinated Actions to Reduce Emissions from Shipping (IMOCARES) which is focused on cooperating to help the needs of developing countries to meet the IMO Energy Efficiency and IMO GHG Strategy targets. As well as Saudi’s newest project at the IMO, Nextwave seafarers, a new initiative that aims to raise the efficiency of seafarers globally by supporting the provision of practical training for maritime students from island countries and less developed countries on board the ships of the Saudi fleet.

It also gave the opportunity to discuss the Saudi and Middle East Green Initiatives, a pair of projects that are working to protect and preserve the Kingdom’s vibrant and essential environment both on land and sea.

H.E. Minister of transport and Logistic services Eng. Saleh Al-Jasser took the opportunity to express his gratitude to the IMO member states for their previous support and emphasized Saudi Arabia active engagement and dedication to the organization since becoming an acting Council Member. He emphasized the support the kingdom is giving to IMOCARES and the GloLitter, GloNoise and GloFouling partnership projects. He also discussed the Nextwave Seafarers project. He stated that the national strategy for transport was to prioritize environment protection, sustainability, safety, innovation, and technology. The ambitions of Saudi Arabia’s vision 2030 is a solid foundation for the Kingdom’s efforts in the maritime sector. Finally, he concluded by saying,

‘As we look forward to the next IMO Council elections, I believe that Saudi Arabia is growing and developing her reputation as an engaged, active and committed member of the IMO community.’

His Royal Highness Prince Khalid bin Salman Al Saud spoke on the Kingdom’s vision for the future and focus on capacity building, innovation, and collaboration. He stated,

‘We are here to highlight and reaffirm the Kingdom’s commitment to international action and cooperation, and to actively contribute to achieving international goals in this field, through our initiatives’.

He concluded this speech by reaffirming the Kingdom’s aims to become a global logistics centre while building on their commitments to Vision 2030.

Subsequently, the Kingdom showed members a video which showcased the Kingdom’s candidacy for category C within the IMO council and reaffirming their achievements in the maritime industry.

Ms. Hayat AlYabis, Alternate Permanent Representatives of KSA to IMO concluded the remarks and thanked the various countries and ministers for attending. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been active and engaged in its dedication to the IMO and intends to build on this momentum with its candidature for category C.

The event demonstrates the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s commitment to the International Maritime Organization, and importance placed on exploring opportunities for collaboration and cooperation within international relations. The Kingdom intends to continue to drive forward key projects and initiatives within the IMO to build towards a stronger and more sustainable maritime sector.