Saudi Arabia to Host World’s First Multinational Women in BioFouling Management Workshop

In 2023 and as a Council Member, Saudi Arabia is committed to support initiatives in the maritime field in all areas especially Climate, Cooperation and Seafarers. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has partnered with the International Maritime Organization’s GloFouling Partnerships to host the world’s first workshop focused on women engagement in maritime biofouling management. The Arab Women in BioFouling Management Workshop will take place in Jeddah on May 10-11, 2023.

This project began back in 2021 when His Excellency Saleh Al-Jasser, Minister of Transportation and Logistic Services of The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia signed multiple projects at the IMO including GloFouling as well as IMOCARES, and GloLitter. (https://www.ksaimo.com/blog-2/blog-post-title-two-8kebg). The GloFouling Partnership project was expanded in 2022 to increase sponsorship participants from the region from 6 nations in the Arabian peninsula to instead include participants from 17 Arab countries.

The 17 nations invited to participate are Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Djibouti, Jordan, Tunisia, Lebanon, Morocco, Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar.

The workshop will bring together leading experts and representatives from the maritime industry, academia, and government to provide perspectives on the current status of biofouling prevention and management, as well as discussing ways to improve it. It will offer a unique platform for sharing experiences, knowledge, and good practices among participants, and provide a valuable opportunity to network and establish partnerships.

The Arab Women in BioFouling Management Workshop will have a significant impact specifically on empowering women in the maritime industry and take actions aimed at both protecting marine biodiversity and tackling the issues of maritime carbon emissions.