Conference will take place in Jeddah Saudi Arabia occupies a strategic location between three continents JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia will host an international conference between Nov. 5 and 8 titled “Sustainable Marine Development Towards 2030 and Beyond,” organized by the Public Transport Authority (PTA) in partnership with the International Maritime Organization (IMO). It will take place at the Jeddah Hilton Hotel and will be attended by Dr. Rumaih Al-Rumaih, chairman of the PTA, Kitack Lim, secretary-general of the IMO, members of the organization and leaders of the maritime sector in the Kingdom. Al-Rumaih stressed the importance of the support of the Kingdom’s leadership to the transport industry and maritime transport, noting that it has had a great impact on enhancing Saudi Arabia’s leading position on the international arena, as it ranks 23rd of 174 members in the IMO. He added that the Saudi maritime fleet comprises 368 tankers and vessels, and plays a major role in the industry, which 90 percent of global trade relies on. This, he said, boosts the Kingdom’s leading role worldwide and its establishment as a leading logistic center. Al-Rumaih pointed out that Saudi Arabia is proud of its permanent membership and pioneering partnership with the IMO and the organization of this important international conference for the first time in the Kingdom. He said that the Kingdom’s leading position due its strategic location between three continents, and its outlook on the coasts of the Arabian Gulf and the Red Sea, a channel through which 13 percent of the world’s trade passes. He closed his remarks by saying that the PTA, as the maritime authority regulating the transport industry in the Kingdom, is proud to host IMO member states to discuss the best ways to achieve sustainability in the shipping industry.