(NEWS) MoA Signed with Saudi Arabia

July

2023

MoA Signed with Saudi Arabia

The World Maritime University (WMU) and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) to collaborate on capacity-building initiatives. The Agreement enhances the cooperation between WMU and Saudi Arabia and was signed on 21 June in the margins of the WMU@40: Conference on Maritime and Ocean Sustainability that took place in celebration of WMU's 40th anniversary.

A delegation from Saudi Arabia attending the conference represented various stakeholders in the Saudi maritime industry and included His Excellency Dr. Rumail Al Rumaih, Vice Minister and President of Transport General Authority (TGA), Mr. Essam Alammari, Senior Advisor of TGA and member of the WMU Board of Governors, and Mr. Abdulrahman Matouk Al-Thunayan, Deputy for Maritime Transport at TGA. The delegation met with Dr. Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry, the outgoing President of WMU, and Professor Max Mejia, the incoming President, as well as Assistant Professor Khanssa Lagdami. The meeting focused on areas of potential collaboration to reinforce the relationship between WMU and Saudi Arabia.

Professor Mejia said, “WMU sincerely welcomes increased collaboration with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to jointly support the IMO’s technical cooperation agenda. This important partnership will benefit the maritime sector in the Gulf region as well as globally.”

As part of the Agreement, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will host a field study programme for WMU MSc students to learn about the country’s maritime industry and visit key ports and maritime agencies. Additionally, the parties will work together in organizing a national or regional workshop to address current issues in the maritime industry.

Through support for IMO’s technical cooperation activities, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia provided US $300,000 to the WMU Endowment Fund in 2017. To date, there are 56 WMU graduates from Saudi Arabia, 50 of whom have been sponsored by different ministries and departments within the Government of Saudi Arabia to study in the WMU Master of Science in Maritime Affairs programme in Malmö.

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