Saudi Arabia, UK Discuss Strengthening Trade and Industrial Cooperation

Alkhorayef and Huddleston discussed ways to boost the partnership between Saudi Arabia and the UK in several economic sectors, particularly industry and mining. SPA
Alkhorayef and Huddleston discussed ways to boost the partnership between Saudi Arabia and the UK in several economic sectors, particularly industry and mining. SPA
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Saudi Arabia, UK Discuss Strengthening Trade and Industrial Cooperation

Alkhorayef and Huddleston discussed ways to boost the partnership between Saudi Arabia and the UK in several economic sectors, particularly industry and mining. SPA
Alkhorayef and Huddleston discussed ways to boost the partnership between Saudi Arabia and the UK in several economic sectors, particularly industry and mining. SPA

Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar bin Ibrahim Alkhorayef has held talks with UK’s Minister of State for International Trade Nigel Huddleston on the sidelines of the meeting of the GCC Ministers of Trade and Industry in Salalah, Oman.

During the meeting, Alkhorayef and Huddleston discussed topics of mutual concern and ways to boost the partnership between the two countries in several economic sectors, particularly industry and mining.

The meeting also focused on enhancing cooperation between the two countries in the industrial and mining sectors, reviewing promising industrial and mining investment opportunities, and exploring the possibility of increasing trade and developing non-oil exports.



Egypt's Revenue from the Suez Canal Plunged Sharply in 2024

FILED - 17 November 2019, Egypt, Ismailia: A container ship sails through the Suez Canal. Photo: Gehad Hamdy/dpa
FILED - 17 November 2019, Egypt, Ismailia: A container ship sails through the Suez Canal. Photo: Gehad Hamdy/dpa
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Egypt's Revenue from the Suez Canal Plunged Sharply in 2024

FILED - 17 November 2019, Egypt, Ismailia: A container ship sails through the Suez Canal. Photo: Gehad Hamdy/dpa
FILED - 17 November 2019, Egypt, Ismailia: A container ship sails through the Suez Canal. Photo: Gehad Hamdy/dpa

Egypt's revenue from the Suez Canal plunged by almost two thirds last year, officials said Wednesday, attributing the sharp drop to regional tensions and wars in the Middle East that have impacted traffic through the key waterway.

The canal is a major source of foreign currency for the Egyptian government, with about 10% of world trade flowing through the waterway in recent years.

The Suez Canal Authority, which runs the waterway, said the canal generated an annual revenue of $3.991 billion in 2024, down from a historic high of $10.25 billion in 2023, according to a statement posted on its Facebook page, The Associated Press said.

Canal traffic has been significantly disrupted after Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi group started to threaten maritime trade and targeting vessels heading to Israel through the Suez Canal to pressure Israel to stop the war in Gaza, which started on Oct. 7, 2023.

Between November 2023 and January 2024, the Houthis targeted over 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two ships and killing four sailors. The militant group insisted the attacks would continue as long as the wars go on and have devastated shipping through the region.

According to the Egyptian canal authority, only 13,213 ships passed through the canal in 2024, marking a 50% decline compared to the number of ships in 2023, when over 26,000 ships passed through.

Still, canal authority chief Osama Rabie said that the attacks challenge the region but have not prevented Egypt from continuing to provide its navigational and maritime services in the Suez.

The International Monetary Fund reported in March 2024 that the Suez Canal trade dropped by 50% in the first two months of that year, compared to the previous year, citing attacks on vessels in the Red Sea.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s government in 2015 completed a significant expansion of the Suez Canal, adding a second shipping lane and allowing it to handle some of the world’s largest vessels.

The canal, which connects the Mediterranean and the Red seas, was opened in 1869. It serves as a vital artery for global trade — a crucial link for oil, natural gas and cargo. The canal authority operates a system of convoys, consisting of one northbound and one southbound per day.