Navigating the Future: Fugro’s role in advancing Saudi Arabia’s maritime sector

Al Riyadh Daily interviews Hannes Swiegers, Director IRM & Remote Operations, Fugro

In today’s global economy, maritime transportation serves as the vital thread connecting nations and facilitating the movement of goods worldwide. In this intricate web, Saudi Arabia has emerged as a key player, poised to bolster its maritime infrastructure, and deepen its trade ties on the international stage. 

Against this backdrop of ambition and opportunity, the upcoming International Port and Marine Development Conference, slated for May 6-7, 2024, in the Kingdom, stands as a beacon of progress and collaboration. As a global geo-data specialist, Fugro’s participation at this event underscores its dedication to enhancing safety, efficiency, and sustainability in Saudi Arabia’s maritime sector. 

At the conference, Fugro will showcase the immense value Geo-data has for port and marine infrastructure in Saudi Arabia’s maritime sector. Through cutting-edge solutions and reliable geo-data, Fugro aims to empower stakeholders with the insights needed to drive growth and development across the Kingdom’s ports and waterways.

The company will demonstrate the significance of Geo-data to port and maritime infrastructure owners at the conference. Its remote and autonomous operations will be a major highlight of the event as it provides a safe and sustainable framework for mapping, monitoring, and modelling geographical data.

Furthermore, Fugro is actively involved in land and marine infrastructure projects, with a strong emphasis on state-of-the-art hydrographic technology. It recently collaborated with the General Authority for Survey and Geospatial Information (GEOSA) on a significant project to survey the eastern coastline of Saudi Arabia. The project utilises Fugro’s High-Speed Hydrography Solution, which combines vessel-based acoustic approaches, advanced data processing, and Airborne Lidar Bathymetry (ALB), to increase navigational safety.

The company’s approach to smart port development includes using sustainable materials and designs, biodiversity assessments, and a variety of environmental-friendly survey techniques. In particular, the company’s climate resilience planning helps ports in becoming well-prepared for encountering challenges, such as increasing sea levels and severe weather. With an integrated strategy, Fugro ensures that its smart port projects enhance community resilience and positively impact the environment.

During the Conference, Fugro further seeks to draw attention to how crucial geotechnical and marine surveying services are to the success and sustainability of Saudi Arabia’s port and marine development initiatives. By offering data-driven insights, the company facilitates informed decision-making by emphasising on safety and precision during project execution. Furthermore, its services ensure the construction of robust foundations and infrastructures that are resilient to unanticipated occurrences by addressing any issues early in the design process.

The maritime sector is ramping up its efforts to become more resilient. In an effort to contribute to this, Fugro is also undertaking innovative steps to advance sustainability and lessen the industry’s carbon footprint while fostering innovation. Essentially, for the development of robust port and marine infrastructures, the company’s geotechnical and marine surveying services are considered indispensable, as it helps in the expansion of Saudi Arabia’s maritime industry.