Saudi Arabia Spends $3.8 Billion on Research, Development

The government recorded the highest percentage of expenditure on research and development (SPA)
The government recorded the highest percentage of expenditure on research and development (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia Spends $3.8 Billion on Research, Development

The government recorded the highest percentage of expenditure on research and development (SPA)
The government recorded the highest percentage of expenditure on research and development (SPA)

The total expenditure on research and development in Saudi Arabia reached SR14.5 billion ($3.8 billion) in 2021, the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) revealed on Wednesday in its statistics publication for 2021

Government spending made up 50 percent of the total expenditure on research and development, while the private sector made up 35 percent and the education sector 15 percent.

The data showed that the number of workers in this field reached 30,220, and the number of researchers recorded during 2021 reached 24,808.

The education sector spent 15 percent of its expenditure on research and development. It registered the largest percentage of workers, 25,178, in the field of research and development, or 83 percent of the total number.

The government recorded 2,967 workers, or 10 percent of total workers, while the private sector ranked last with 2,075 workers, or 7 percent, in 2021, according to the publication.



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.