ROME — Saudi Minister of Transport and Logistics Eng. Saleh Al-Jasser said that the Strait of Hormuz crisis had necessitated Saudi Arabia implementing precautionary countermeasures to avert the crisis. “Riyadh had activated 41 business continuity and emergency plans that had been previously prepared and tested to protect supply chains, enabling a swift and effective response from the earliest stages of the crisis,” he said while addressing a session at the European Summit of the Future Investment Initiative in Rome. The region is currently experiencing challenging conditions, Al-Jasser said while emphasizing that Saudi Arabia was well prepared to manage such developments. He referred to a prior experience in 2013, when the Kingdom faced disruptions in the Red Sea and was compelled to reroute trade eastward toward the Arabian Gulf, successfully safeguarding commercial flows and maintaining the resilience of its supply chains. Al-Jasser also clarified that the Kingdom supported the management of disrupted flights and facilitated the evacuation of passengers who had landed at various airports. In addition, it redirected vessels originally bound for ports in the Eastern Province to ports in the Western Province.The minister noted that the challenges extended beyond the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, stating that “continued difficulties in Bab el-Mandeb” had also led some international shipping companies to hesitate in transiting the area. This, he explained, required close coordination with shipping operators, information exchange, and the activation of private sector participation. “Since the beginning of the current crisis, more than 23 new shipping services have been launched in cooperation with the private sector,” he added.
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