Saudi Arabia and The Bahamas Meet to Discuss Enhanced Collaboration at the IMO

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The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s delegation to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), led by Permanent Representative Eng. Kamal Al Junaidi, met with members of The Bahamas’ delegation, led by the Hon. JoBeth Coleby-Davis, Minister of Energy and Transport, and Paul Rolle, Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the IMO, on March 11, 2025. The meeting took place at IMO headquarters in London during the 49th Session of the Facilitation Committee.
The discussions focused on opportunities for bilateral cooperation to drive positive change in the maritime industry. Topics included seafarer education, digital transformation, and global trade facilitation. Both parties reaffirmed their commitment to fostering innovative and sustainable solutions to build a more resilient maritime sector.
Eng. Al Junaidi shared key outcomes of the Kingdom’s partnerships with the IMO, including initiatives such as IMOCARES, GloLitter, GloFouling, and GloNoise. He also introduced the recently launched NextWave project, which will provide training opportunities for cadets from Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) onboard Bahri ships. The delegation of The Bahamas highlighted its own maritime education initiatives, particularly the Bahamas Maritime Authority’s provision of STCW training to seafarers.
Both countries emphasized the importance of developing the next generation of seafarers while advancing impactful initiatives to increase women’s participation in the sector. Saudi Arabia noted the success of its women-only maritime training program, which received over 600 applications, reflecting a growing interest in the field.
Also in attendance was MAWANI’s Vice President of Shared Services and Digital Transformation, Dr. Majed Al Malik, who exchanged insights with his Bahamian counterparts on port digitization strategies and Saudi Arabia’s recent success in implementing its Maritime Single Window. As part of its Vision 2030 goals, the Kingdom seeks to position itself as a global logistics hub. Efforts to streamline clearance processes and enhance trade efficiency are central to this ambition. The two delegations agreed to explore future collaboration on key digital infrastructure and data management processes, as well as the implementation of effective Long-Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) within The Bahamas’ archipelago to enhance maritime domain awareness.
The Hon. JoBeth Coleby-Davis and Eng. Kamal Al Junaidi exchanged commemorative gifts, and Saudi Arabia extended a warm invitation to The Bahamas to participate in the upcoming Sustainable Maritime Industry Conference (SMIC), set to take place in September 2025