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His Royal Highness Prince Saud bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Governor of the Eastern Province, launched today (Tuesday) at his office in the Emirate headquarters the “Response 25” Emergency Response Exercise, simulating a response to oil spills and hazardous substances in Saudi territorial waters. The exercise brings together 51 public and private entities and aims to enhance readiness and coordination among participating entities and assess the capabilities of national personnel in responding to similar incidents.
His Royal Highness the Deputy Governor highlighted the exercise as a practical implementation of approved national plans for responding to hazardous substance incidents. He noted that it provides an opportunity to assess the readiness of participating entities, the effectiveness of coordination mechanisms, and information exchange throughout the various stages of response. He also emphasized the importance of preparedness for emergencies that may affect the marine environment and coastal areas, contributing to more efficient response and greater coordination among relevant entities.
Eng. Ali Al Ghamdi, CEO of the National Center for Environmental Compliance, explained that the Eastern Province was selected in accordance with the schedule for conducting exercises across Saudi Arabia’s coastal areas. The exercise aims to test the effectiveness of the national response system, assess the efficiency of coordination and information exchange, and raise levels of readiness and preparedness for oil spill incidents.
Al Ghamdi added that the exercise scenario includes the activation of the operations room in Dammam, with simulated incidents taking place across several locations, including the Kingdom’s territorial waters, King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam, and the shores of Dareen and Tarout Islands. The scenario is designed to test the participating entities’ capabilities in addressing the impact of oil spills and protecting the marine environment and coastal communities, while also assessing coordination mechanisms, information exchange, and the implementation of response plans
