C20 Group Submits Final Statement to G20 Summit

Prince Abdul Aziz bin Salman, the Saudi energy minister. (File/AFP)
Prince Abdul Aziz bin Salman, the Saudi energy minister. (File/AFP)
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C20 Group Submits Final Statement to G20 Summit

Prince Abdul Aziz bin Salman, the Saudi energy minister. (File/AFP)
Prince Abdul Aziz bin Salman, the Saudi energy minister. (File/AFP)

Saudi Minister of Human Resources and Social Development Ahmed Al-Rajhi received the closing statement of the civil society engagement group for the G20 countries on behalf of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz.

The C20 group wrapped up on Saturday the work of this year's civil society summit chaired by Saudi Arabia, which was held virtually during the past four days, with the presence of more than 20,000 participants from 109 countries around the world.

The summit’s agenda had 65 discussion sessions and workshops, in which the more than 380 speakers included representatives of the governments of twenty countries, international civil society organizations, and specialized international organizations, as well as experts and decision-makers.

Prince Abdul Aziz bin Salman, the minister of energy, participated in a special dialogue on the future of green energy.

A number of representatives of the Saudi presidency of the G20 countries also took part in the summit, including Fahd Al-Mubarak, minister of state.

"We won’t be part of the problem, nor part of the solution. Our goal is to be pioneering in finding solutions," Prince Abdul Aziz bin Salman said.

He affirmed that the Kingdom has been tirelessly pushing towards an international commitment to endorse the Circular Carbon Economy in efforts for a sustainable and clean environment.



Insurance Costs for Ships in Strait of Hormuz Rise Over 60%

 The Strait of Hormuz is a key shipping chokepoint for crude oil (Reuters) 
 The Strait of Hormuz is a key shipping chokepoint for crude oil (Reuters) 
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Insurance Costs for Ships in Strait of Hormuz Rise Over 60%

 The Strait of Hormuz is a key shipping chokepoint for crude oil (Reuters) 
 The Strait of Hormuz is a key shipping chokepoint for crude oil (Reuters) 

Insurance prices for ships travelling through the Strait of Hormuz have jumped more than 60% since the start of the war between Israel and Iran as the conflict threatens shipping in a key chokepoint for crude oil, the Financial Times newspaper wrote on Wednesday.

As of this week, the cost of hull and machinery insurance for ships passing through the strait — a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman, connecting the Gulf to the Arabian Sea — as well as the wider Gulf area had risen from 0.125% of the value of the ship to about 0.2%, according to the world’s largest insurance broker Marsh McLennan.

This pushes the cost of cover for a $100 million ship from $125,000 to $200,000.

Hull and machinery insurance covers damage to the ship itself, as opposed to cargo or third-party liability.

“We’ve not yet seen a missile fired at a ship in the Arabian Gulf, so what it represents is the market saying, look, there’s definitely a heightened level of concern about the safety of shipping in the region,” Marcus Baker, global head of marine and cargo insurance at Marsh McLennan, told the Financial Times.

Prices could rise further, he added.

Ships trying to pass through the strait face a range of dangers, from electronic interference to attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi group and the threat of further escalation by Israel and Iran, said brokers and insurers.

On Monday there was a collision between two oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz.

While the cause of the crash has not yet been publicized, one ship had transmitted atypical signals about its position, raising concerns about electronic interference.

Baker said insurers were also worried that Houthi militants could widen their attacks, damaging more ships than the US, UK and Israeli-flagged vessels they have generally been targeting.

The market is “concerned about every vessel” travelling through the area because of Houthi attacks, Baker said.

Some insurers could stop offering cover because of the risks, he added, but others might see any pullback as an opportunity.

“War itself, as an insurance product, tends to be...either you lose everything or make a fortune. And many fortunes have been made by underwriters prepared to take a risk,” he said.

Insurance rates for cargo, including oil, were also likely to rise because of the conflict, multiple brokers said, but had been slower to respond.