Saudi Arabia's Maritime Policies

Paper Summary:

The paper probes the dominant and prevailing maritime issues that Saudi Arabia faces and considers some means by which a holistic approach could improve management of Saudi Arabia's significant maritime resources. These include important shipping lanes, offshore energy deposits, bountiful marine environments potentially ripe for aquaculture development and even the possibility of desalinization plants to produce freshwater in a predominantly desert nation. The paper explains how the preservation of effective management of these resources will produce long-term development and economic benefits for the nation, as well as help the nation preserve its maritime heritage for generations to come.

Outline:
Introduction
The Extent of the Maritime Sector for Saudi Arabia
Maintaining Peak Efficiency
Unique Regional Security Concerns
Importance of Environmental Integrity
Adopting European Clustering
Concluding Remarks

From the Paper:

"Saudi Arabia is not a nation whose fate has been historically associated with the oceans. Images conjured of Saudi Arabia will involve oil fields and vast deserts. At first blush, there seems little reason to even consider a maritime policy for the nation, let alone a rational and holistic one that incorporates information from many maritime interests and successfully coordinates policy decisions for all. This is a misconception. In fact, Saudi Arabia has an intimate and strategic relationship with two major oceanic routes: the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf. As the importance of these routes is certain to grow in the coming years and decades, it is important for Saudi Arabia to consider today the means by which a sensible maritime policy can be devised and implemented."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Appleyard, B. 2005, October 16, 'Waiting for the lights to go out', Times Online, Available at http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2099-1813695_1,00.html
• European Commission--Maritime Policy Task Force 2006, 'Towards a future maritime policy for the Union: a European vision for the oceans and seas', Commission of the European Communities, Available at http://ec.europa.eu/maritimeaffairs
• 'Harboring ambitions' 2006, June 23, MEED, vol. 50, no. 25, p. 66.
• Pidersen, H. 2006, 'The Norwegian perspective on maritime policy', CPMP Project "Europe of the Sea" Bergen Seminar, Available at http://odin.dep.no/fkd/english/news/speeches/
• 'Port activity gathers momentum' 2006, May 19, MEED, vol. 50, no. 2, p. 28.

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