Officials during the event.

The 3rd Saudi Maritime Congress, scheduled to be held in March 22 to 23, 2020 in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, will provide an ideal platform for local and global industry leaders and authorities to examine the prospects for development and investment in the Kingdom’s maritime and logistics sectors in line with the Vision 2030 plan to make Saudi Arabia a logistics and maritime hub for the Middle East. This was announced during a gathering on Sunday.

Held in partnership with Founding Strategic Partners, Saudi Ports Authority (MAWANI) and Bahri under the patronage of Transport Ministry, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Congress will highlight the achievements of the Kingdom’s shipping industry.

According to Chris Hayman, Chairman of Seatrade, organisers of event: “There could not be a better time to hold this crucial event within the Kingdom and every session planned within the 2-day conference programme addresses a highly important subject matter.”

Top of the agenda is Vision 2030, which leads into a discussion about trade relationships with key partners…and, in particular, opportunities for the Kingdom’s logistics sector and its development. Sessions also include the latest disruptive technology in the maritime sector, as well as the fuel revolution to 2050 and managing risk in shipping. Addressing nationalisation, a dedicated session will focus on developing and training the Kingdom’s workforce and what progress has been made to fill the workforce gap.

Alongside the conference session, an exhibition will run in the Dhahran Expo gathering local and international companies under one roof to discuss, network and do business.

Strategically important, news that the Saudi Maritime Congress will be held again next year, comes on the back of a recent announcement that 55 new ships will be added to the Saudi fleet as part of a raft of initiatives to boost the sector.

Fareed Al-Qahtani, Vice Chairman responsible for maritime transport at the Saudi Public Transport Authority (PTA), has said that the recent news “seeks to raise the levels of efficiency in maritime transport, safety and security, and to open prospects for development and investment and facilitate maritime navigation procedures in line with the striving to transform the Kingdom into a global logistics centre to achieve the ambitious vision 2030 in cooperation with strategic partners.”

The country’s fleet currently consists of 368 cargos and a Saudi-flagged vessel. The gross tonnage has reached 8 million tonnes, a significant growth from 3.4 million tonnes in 2017, and is expected to reach about 9 million tonnes by the end of 2019.

Saudi Maritime Congress is the most critical conference for Maritime’s Saudi market. Attracting a cluster of influential personalities, the two-day forum brings the Maritime industry together to meet with its most influential leaders for in-depth discussion, guidance and solutions on the regional shipping and logistics sectors. While a dynamic conference agenda takes centre stage, a showcase exhibition provides the perfect catalyst for doing business within Saudi’s maritime market.

The Saudi Maritime Congress is strategically important and remains an interactive platform for exchanging information, transferring experiences and exploring investment opportunities available to develop the maritime sector with the participation of experts, pioneers and decision-makers. The Kingdom has provided a pioneering model in the development of the maritime sector, accompanied with unlimited support and unprecedented attention of wise leadership, which translates to a quality-focused shift in facilities, operational and logistical mechanisms, to position Saudi ports among the ranks of the most important regional ports and an ideal destination for major global navigation lines. The authorities confidently look forward to the conference, which represents an important step towards keeping pace with developments in the global maritime and logistics sector and seek to continue fruitful cooperation with the public and private sectors to promote this vital sector, successfully connect bridges with three continents and make the Kingdom a global logistics centre.

The region’s world-class Maritime Convention attracts over 7500 attendees from more than 86 countries, including ship owners and managers, port operators and cargo owners, C-Suite stakeholders, financiers, and other maritime professionals. The biennial event is an integral part of UAE Maritime Week, held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, UAE.

Moreover, Seatrade Offshore Marine & Workboats (SOMWME), scheduled to take place from September 23 - 24, 2019 in Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, is the only specialist event to truly bring together all corners of the offshore marine and workboat community, from ship owners and operators to the supply and service chain of the workboat sector.