London: Vice Minister of Transport and Logistic Services and acting head of the Saudi Transport General Authority Dr. Rumaih bin Mohammed Al-Rumaih is leading the Saudi delegation to the 133rd session of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Council, held in London from November 18 to 22.

According to Saudi Press Agency, Saudi Arabia is participating alongside 40 other countries that comprise the IMO Council’s member states. The IMO Council is the executive body of the organization and is responsible for overseeing its work, which includes reviewing reports, coordinating across various bodies, and contributing to decisions on maritime issues and strategies.

During the session, the Kingdom will highlight its efforts and major projects to develop the maritime transport sector, protect the marine environment, ensure maritime safety, and train qualified personnel for the maritime industry.

Through collaboration with the IMO, the Kingdom is working on several initiatives and projects aimed at improving
maritime safety and reducing marine pollution caused by shipping and maritime transport services. It is working with IMO on improving the organization’s rules and procedures to make it more cohesive and effective.

The Kingdom is also participating in ongoing discussions with the IMO Secretariat to expand and enhance linguistic diversity within the organization.

Regarding efforts to empower women in the maritime sector, the Kingdom has intensively participated in activities and workshops supporting women’s roles, including the second workshop on combating marine pollution in Panama for female leaders in the Caribbean and Central America, following the success of the first-ever workshop for women in the Middle East and North Africa.