DHAHRAN — For decades, Saudi Aramco has been contributing to the development of the energy sector and promoting Saudi Arabia’s economic diversification through many partnerships and alliances with major international companies.
Aramco has participated in an industrial alliance to establish King Salman International Complex for Maritime Industries and Services, which is one of the largest maritime industry complexes in the Middle East and North Africa in terms of productive capacity and scope. Aramco is planned to contribute the largest share to this joint venture.
Saudi Aramco Executive Vice President for Technical Services Ahmad Abdulrahman Al-Saadi explained that King Salman International Complex for Maritime Industries and Services will add further economic value that contributes to the achievement of the targets of the Saudi Vision 2030.
It will reinforce national efforts to establish the bases of a new industry in the Kingdom, supports national content, provides the Saudi economy with a new resource and provides thousands of new and sustainable jobs to Saudi citizens.
Al-Saadi pointed out that the infrastructure works of the complex were heavily supported by the state with approximately $3.8 billion, indicating that when completed, the complex would be one of the largest full-service offshore facilities in the MENA region, expanding Saudi Arabia’s products to larger markets and meeting its demands in this vital sector.
Al-Saadi added that the project has significant investment returns and is expected to contribute more than $17 billion to Saudi Arabia’s GDP, help reduce imports of marine equipment and services by up to $12 billion, and the complex could provide many direct and indirect jobs by 2030.
He noted that the complex’s works support national industry and localize its technologies, contributing to the needs of offshore oil and gas rigs, offshore platforms and marine support vessels, and giant crude oil tankers, along with a variety of offshore equipment and commercial vessels, as well as the possibility of providing maintenance and restoration to all such products.
Al-Saadi added that the National Maritime Academy has developed a two-year program providing a number of specializations in maritime industries, where around 2,000 Saudi trainees have enrolled to date, and will contribute to the training of young talents and preparing them for the future of Saudi Arabia’s maritime industry sector.
He indicated that the academy is a qualitative addition to the career of professional and technical education in the Kingdom, aiming to train nearly 15,000 Saudi technicians, as well as many university graduates in the fields of design engineering and production, and seek to empower women in marine industries in engineering, safety, business development, finance and information technology fields. — SPA
