Riyadh Hosts GCC-UK Trade Summit 2021 on Tuesday

A night view of Riyadh on Saudi National Day in 2020. (SPA file photo)
A night view of Riyadh on Saudi National Day in 2020. (SPA file photo)
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Riyadh Hosts GCC-UK Trade Summit 2021 on Tuesday

A night view of Riyadh on Saudi National Day in 2020. (SPA file photo)
A night view of Riyadh on Saudi National Day in 2020. (SPA file photo)

The biggest names from the region’s business world will meet with top experts and decision-makers at the GCC-UK Trade Summit 2021 that will be hosted by Riyadh on Tuesday. They will meet virtually in the Saudi capital to discuss ways to boost bilateral trade and investment and take economic relations between the two regions to the next level.

The GCC-UK Trade Summit 2021 is the most important forum for businesses and investors from the Gulf Cooperation Council and the UK to connect with each other, exchange ideas and experiences, discuss investment opportunities and forge strategic partnerships.

The event aims to promote bilateral trade and facilitate foreign direct investment between the two regions by providing a platform for businesses on both sides to expand into new markets and explore collaboration opportunities.

As the GCC experiences a period of rapid growth and economic diversification, it is witnessing a corresponding upswing in its trade and economic relations with the UK.

This is evidenced by the fact that the Gulf region accounts for as much as $50.8 billion out of the estimated $57.2 billion annual trade between the UK and the Middle East.

The GCC-UK Trade Summit aims to further strengthen bilateral trade and investment ties and is envisioned as a platform that will catalyze a new era of collaboration between the two regions by bringing together on one stage high-profile investors, exporters, consultants, experts, service providers, and key private and public sector decision-makers.

The summit will provide updates on the most important projects currently underway in the GCC, explore ways to build technical capacities and networks of collaboration for entrepreneurs, and discuss opportunities to stimulate bilateral trade and investment over the next decade.



US Coast Guard Says Hurricane May Shut Oil Ports

 Vehicles are carried by ferry across Aransas Pass as Hurricane Beryl moves closer to the Texas coast, Saturday, July 6, 2024, in Port Aransas, Texas. (AP)
Vehicles are carried by ferry across Aransas Pass as Hurricane Beryl moves closer to the Texas coast, Saturday, July 6, 2024, in Port Aransas, Texas. (AP)
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US Coast Guard Says Hurricane May Shut Oil Ports

 Vehicles are carried by ferry across Aransas Pass as Hurricane Beryl moves closer to the Texas coast, Saturday, July 6, 2024, in Port Aransas, Texas. (AP)
Vehicles are carried by ferry across Aransas Pass as Hurricane Beryl moves closer to the Texas coast, Saturday, July 6, 2024, in Port Aransas, Texas. (AP)

The US Coast Guard warned of possible Texas port closures from Corpus Christi to Houston and began restricting vessel traffic because of Tropical Storm Beryl, which is expected to become a hurricane before making landfall by Monday morning at Port Lavaca.

Port closures could bring to a temporary halt shipments of crude oil to refineries and motor fuels from those plants.

Port condition "Yankee" was set by the Coast Guard captain of the port of Corpus Christi on Saturday afternoon, restricting vessel movement in ports from Matagorda Bay, 101 miles (163 km) southwest of Houston, to the US-Mexico border.

Citgo Petroleum Corp was cutting production at its 165,000 barrel-per-day Corpus Christi, Texas, refinery on Saturday ahead of the approach of Beryl to the Texas coast.

Citgo plans to keep the Corpus Christi refinery running at minimum production as the storm moves up the coast toward a projected landfall at Port Lavaca, a pipeline hub.

Oil producer Shell Plc completed the evacuation of workers from its Perdido production platform in the US-regulated Gulf of Mexico ahead of the approach of the storm, the company said on Friday night.

Production on Perdido was shut prior to the evacuations. Shell said it also evacuated workers from the Whale platform, which is due to start production later this year.

Gibson Energy, which operates a large oil terminal in Corpus Christi, said operations were continuing, but it would take further steps depending on the forecast.

The storm was moving on Saturday with maximum sustained winds near 60 mph (95 kmh), the National Hurricane Center said.

The latest forecasts would put Corpus Christi on the dry side of the storm where the lowest winds and least rain could be expected. But Beryl could bring gale-force winds to the port, which is why the Coast Guard restricts traffic or shuts the port.

Most of the northern Gulf's offshore oil and gas production is east of Beryl's forecast track.

US Gulf of Mexico offshore production of about 1.8 million barrels per day accounts for about 14% of total US crude output, according to the US Energy Information Administration. Any impact on supplies could push up prices of US oil and offshore crude grades.

Oil major Chevron Corp, among the biggest US offshore producers, said on Friday that production from its operated assets remained normal. But it evacuated nonessential personnel from some of its Gulf of Mexico facilities.

Murphy Oil Corp said it has not shut in production or evacuated personnel, and continues to monitor the storm.