NEOM Awards One of World's Largest Drill and Blast Tunneling Contracts

NEOM awarded on Monday drill and blast tunneling contracts for work on the region’s infrastructure. (Twitter)
NEOM awarded on Monday drill and blast tunneling contracts for work on the region’s infrastructure. (Twitter)
TT

NEOM Awards One of World's Largest Drill and Blast Tunneling Contracts

NEOM awarded on Monday drill and blast tunneling contracts for work on the region’s infrastructure. (Twitter)
NEOM awarded on Monday drill and blast tunneling contracts for work on the region’s infrastructure. (Twitter)

NEOM awarded on Monday drill and blast tunneling contracts for work on the region’s infrastructure - one of the world’s largest transportation and utility infrastructure projects and an essential element in ensuring NEOM continues to meet its development schedule.

Two joint venture groups will undertake the project, which is separated by lower and upper geographies.

The first contract was awarded to FCC Construction SA/China State Construction Engineering Corporation/Shibh Al-Jazira Contracting Company Joint Venture (FCC/CSCEC/SAJCO JV), and the second to Samsung C&T Corporation /Hyundai Engineering and Construction Co. Ltd/Saudi Archirodon Company Ltd Joint Venture (SHAJV).

The tunnels work will provide over 28 kilometers in length and provide separate tunnels for high-speed and freight rail services, making the movement of people and goods faster, safer and easier.

The rock excavated as part of this tunneling project will be processed for subsequent reuse within the permanent concrete lining of the tunnels and other projects within NEOM to ensure minimal impact to natural landscapes.”

Nadhmi Al-Nasr, CEO of NEOM, said: “Today marks yet another significant milestone for NEOM. The sheer scope and scale of the tunneling work to be undertaken highlights the complexity and ambition of the project.”

“We are moving forward to achieve NEOM’s vision of the new future, which has been established by Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Chairman of the NEOM Company Board of Directors.”

“At NEOM, we are inspiring a new way of living, making seamless mobility possible, reducing emissions and protecting our environment. We are not only making a giant leap for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, but we are also establishing a model for sustainable living around the world.”



Saudi Arabia Condemns Israel’s Approval of New West Bank Settlements 

A general view of the Israeli Amihai settlement in the north of the occupied West Bank on December 14, 2025. (AFP)
A general view of the Israeli Amihai settlement in the north of the occupied West Bank on December 14, 2025. (AFP)
TT

Saudi Arabia Condemns Israel’s Approval of New West Bank Settlements 

A general view of the Israeli Amihai settlement in the north of the occupied West Bank on December 14, 2025. (AFP)
A general view of the Israeli Amihai settlement in the north of the occupied West Bank on December 14, 2025. (AFP)

Saudi Arabia condemned on Tuesday Israel’s approval of the construction of 19 settlements in the occupied West Bank in violation of relevant UN resolutions.

A Foreign Ministry statement reiterated the Kingdom’s call on the international community to assume its responsibility to end these violations.

It renewed its unwavering support for the Palestinian people and its continued efforts to establish an independent Palestinian state according to the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in line with the Arab Peace Initiative and international resolutions.


Royal Saudi Naval Forces Floats First Combat Ship in US under Tuwaiq Project

The Royal Saudi Naval Forces (RSNF) floated the His Majesty King Saud ship in the US state of Wisconsin. (SPA)
The Royal Saudi Naval Forces (RSNF) floated the His Majesty King Saud ship in the US state of Wisconsin. (SPA)
TT

Royal Saudi Naval Forces Floats First Combat Ship in US under Tuwaiq Project

The Royal Saudi Naval Forces (RSNF) floated the His Majesty King Saud ship in the US state of Wisconsin. (SPA)
The Royal Saudi Naval Forces (RSNF) floated the His Majesty King Saud ship in the US state of Wisconsin. (SPA)

The Royal Saudi Naval Forces (RSNF) floated the His Majesty King Saud ship, the first vessel under the Tuwaiq Project, in the US state of Wisconsin, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Tuesday.

The project includes the construction of four multi-mission combat ships.

The ceremony was attended by Chief of Naval Staff Lieutenant General Mohammed Al-Ghuraibi, in the presence of a number of senior officers and officials from Saudi Arabia and the US, as well as representatives of Lockheed Martin, a leading defense and military industries company, and Fincantieri, which specializes in the construction of advanced military and naval vessels.

Al-Ghuraibi underscored the unlimited support enjoyed by the Armed Forces in general and the RSNF from the Saudi leadership, which has contributed to achieving accomplishments in modernization and development.

The Tuwaiq Project is one of the key and strategic projects in the development journey of the RSNF, embodying the Kingdom’s direction toward building a modern and professional naval force based on the latest military technologies, alongside advanced training and qualification programs for its personnel, he added.

The project boosts the readiness of the RSNF to protect the Kingdom’s strategic interests and secure vital maritime routes, he remarked, revealing that the project’s ships are equipped with the latest advanced combat systems that enable them to carry out various naval warfare missions and engage aerial, surface, and subsurface targets.


MWL Secretary-General, UN Chief Meet in Riyadh

Muslim World League (MWL) Secretary-General and Organization of Muslim Scholars Chairman Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Al-Issa and United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres meet in Riyadh on Tuesday. (SPA)
Muslim World League (MWL) Secretary-General and Organization of Muslim Scholars Chairman Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Al-Issa and United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres meet in Riyadh on Tuesday. (SPA)
TT

MWL Secretary-General, UN Chief Meet in Riyadh

Muslim World League (MWL) Secretary-General and Organization of Muslim Scholars Chairman Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Al-Issa and United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres meet in Riyadh on Tuesday. (SPA)
Muslim World League (MWL) Secretary-General and Organization of Muslim Scholars Chairman Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Al-Issa and United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres meet in Riyadh on Tuesday. (SPA)

Muslim World League (MWL) Secretary-General and Organization of Muslim Scholars Chairman Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Al-Issa held talks in Riyadh on Tuesday with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.

Meeting on the sidelines of the 11th Global Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), they discussed the importance of continuing to strengthen friendship and cooperation among nations and peoples.

Guterres was briefed on the MWL's efforts in this regard through its purposeful and constructive dialogues across the world, praising its initiatives and programs that advance the concept of preventive peace.

Dr. Al-Issa expressed, on behalf of the Muslim peoples under the league’s umbrella, his appreciation for the honorable positions Guterres has taken on just causes, especially the war on Gaza and the Palestinian cause.