Work is now underway in setting up the Kingdom's ninth port in the Ras Azzour mining area, according to Dr. Jabarah Al-Suraisiry, Minister of Transport and Chairman of the Board of the Saudi Ports Authority.?He explained that it is not a question of how many seaports the Kingdom has but rather of the need for them. “Whenever there is a need to build new ports, the government will not hesitate to set them up,” the minister pointed out.? Al-Suraisiry made these statements at the recently held Saudi Maritime 2010 Forum in Jeddah, which was opened by Prince Misha'l Bin Majed, Governor of Jeddah, and attended by experts of the ports and sea transport industry.? According to the Saudi Ports Authority, the Minister underlined the fact that ports are the world's gateway to trade with the Kingdom, adding that the Ports Authority is working on developing the nation's ports so that they will reach the highest level of efficiency in operation and management.? Al-Suraisiry reaffirmed that the the Saudi Maritime Forum and other similar specialized events are part of the efforts aimed at developing the sea transport industry, adding that the Saudi government is keen to develop the Saudi economy and infrastructure and the areas associated with them.? At the Forum Dr. Khaled Bubshait, President of the Saudi Ports Authority, presented a paper entitled “The Global Financial Crisis and its Impact on Saudi Economy and Ports”, which summarized the global financial crisis, Saudi ports strategy for dealing with the crisis, and indicators of some improvements in the international economy.? The paper concluded with a future outlook for developing Saudi ports.? A number of other papers addressed modern ways of operating ports and container terminals, tools for analyzing and studying the sea trade market, as well as developments concerning oil and gas tankers and passengers vessels.
