Under the patronage of Prince Khalid al-Faisal, the Governor of Makkah region, Prince Mishal bin Majed bin Abdulaziz, the Governor of Jeddah, will inaugurate here tomorrow the fist Saudi international forum on ports and shipping. The forum will be organized by the ports authority, the shipping committee and the al-Fares group. Prince Mishal will also open the international exhibition on ports and shipping, organized on an area of more than 1800 square meter. Dr Khalid Bobsheit, the president of the ports authority, underlined the significance of the forum, and said the Saudi officials have been giving utmost attention to the ports. In a statement to SPA, he hoped that the forum would yield positive results. Bobsheit said the Kingdom had spent more than sr 38 billion in the development of the ports, noting that sr 928 million have allocated at this fiscal year's (1428-1429) budget in addition sr 300 million from the surplus of the budget of the previous fiscal year have been allocated for the development of the ports. Bobsheit said the number of the Saudi ports amounts to 8 including six commercial ports and two industrial ports with 184 wharves. --more
