With its economic diversification efforts, policy development, and foreign direct investment commitments over the next five years, the world's eyes are on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as it fast tracks to becoming a leading maritime hub. The 4th edition of the Saudi Maritime Congress will take place in Dammam from 20-21 September 2023, highlighting the scope of opportunities within this burgeoning sector and the fast-growing maritime logistics potential.
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| Chris Morley, Group Director of Seatrade Maritime, the event's organisers |
Chris Morley, Group Director of Seatrade Maritime, the event's organisers, said: "Progress on maritime transport infrastructure forms part of a wider strategy aimed at developing the domestic ports and logistics sector. We expect maritime logistics to be a fast-growing activity in 2023-27, supported by the government's ambitious aim of making Saudi Arabia the leading regional logistics hub."
Through its comprehensive and free-to-attend conference programme, the Congress will delve into Vision2030 and its objectives for the maritime and logistics sectors. "The improvements in Saudi maritime logistics are expected to boost port revenue, an increasingly important non-oil source of growth. By building out inland logistics hubs and enhancing rail connectivity, the Kingdom is looking to more than quadruple the country's annual container throughput to 40 million TEU by 2030. The ambitions of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 plan are quite clearly matched by the scale of so-called giga projects such as the $500 billion Neom scheme or the plans for the Oxagon port, which will be the largest floating structure in the world," added Morley.
The two-day exhibition and conference will take place at Dhahran Expo, Dammam, KSA, following a highly successful event in 2022 that saw an international audience of 3,757 visitors participate, including key maritime executives, leading suppliers of marine equipment and services, and crucially, those responsible for shaping the KSA maritime landscape for the future.
Bringing together industry stakeholders
Emphasising the importance of the Congress, several key industry names have signed up to make industry and keynote addresses, including Nancy W. Karigithu, Principal Secretary, State Department for Shipping and Maritime, Kenya; Erik Jensby, Head of Business Development and Membership, BIMCO; John McDonald, EVP, and COO, ABS. Panel sessions across the two days will be short and sharp, with over 30 speakers lined up to discuss topics ranging from ship management, maritime education, ESG, to mega strategies for the Kingdom's maritime industry future, container shipping & tanker freight market update, offshore, and maritime logistics.
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| Saudi Maritime Congress main exhibition |
Complementing the programme is a bustling exhibition with participating companies such as MAWANI, IMI, Transport Global Authority, Saudi Global Ports Co, Grandweld, Naghi Marine Company, DP World Middle East, ASRY, and more.
Entry to the exhibition and conference programme is free upon registration: Saudi Maritime Congress 2023 (visitcloud.com)
