Saudi Arabia, Germany Seek to Promote Energy Dialogue and Hydrogen Alliance

Saudi Arabia is moving to expand reliance on renewable energy and hydrogen production. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Arabia is moving to expand reliance on renewable energy and hydrogen production. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia, Germany Seek to Promote Energy Dialogue and Hydrogen Alliance

Saudi Arabia is moving to expand reliance on renewable energy and hydrogen production. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Arabia is moving to expand reliance on renewable energy and hydrogen production. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Dr. Dalia Samra-Rohte, Delegate of German Industry & Commerce for Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Yemen, said that the German-Saudi Arabian Liaison Office for Economic Affairs (GESALO) sought to promote German-Saudi energy dialogue and the hydrogen alliance.

Saudi Arabia and Germany are seeking to strengthen economic and investment relations and increase trade exchange, on the sidelines of the visit of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to the Kingdom.

Samra-Rohte said that Saudi Vision 2030 created additional opportunities to further develop relations, pointing to sustainability as a major focus in the Kingdom’s aspirations during the coming period.

Opportunities were identified in the areas of renewable energy, recycling, green hydrogen, as well as the water sector, she told Asharq Al-Awsat.

She also stressed that the German industry has contributed to health care developments, major infrastructure projects and digitization in Saudi Arabia.

The delegate of German Industry & Commerce for Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Yemen revealed that her country was the Kingdom’s fourth largest trading partner, noting that most of Germany’s exports to Saudi Arabia were focused on chemical products and mechanical equipment.

She went on to say that the value of German exports to the Kingdom reached 5.6 billion euros ($5.4 billion), noting that her country’s companies enjoyed a strong trade relationship with their Saudi counterparts.

Over the past years, German industry has contributed to the general diversification and localization efforts in Saudi Arabia. In this regard, Samra-Rohte emphasized that with the increasing demand for local manpower, German companies have provided job opportunities for many Saudi citizens.

The GESALO office regularly organizes exchange programs and helps Saudi students, who complete their studies in Germany, to find suitable job opportunities, she concluded.



Maersk Not Returning to the Gulf of Aden for Now

Maersk shipping line Cabo Verde offloads containers within the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) container terminal at the port of Mombasa, Kenya, January 9, 2025. REUTERS/Laban Walloga
Maersk shipping line Cabo Verde offloads containers within the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) container terminal at the port of Mombasa, Kenya, January 9, 2025. REUTERS/Laban Walloga
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Maersk Not Returning to the Gulf of Aden for Now

Maersk shipping line Cabo Verde offloads containers within the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) container terminal at the port of Mombasa, Kenya, January 9, 2025. REUTERS/Laban Walloga
Maersk shipping line Cabo Verde offloads containers within the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) container terminal at the port of Mombasa, Kenya, January 9, 2025. REUTERS/Laban Walloga

Maersk will continue to divert vessels away from the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea and toward the southern tip of Africa despite Yemen's Houthis announcing they will curb their attacks on ships, the container shipping giant said on Friday.
The Danish shipping company said the announcement by the Iran-backed militia was "a very welcome step in the right direction towards stability and eventual normality for the global shipping industry".
However, it said the security risk for commercial vessels transition the Red Sea and Bab-el-Mandeb strait remains high.
"With this in mind – and the safety of our crew, vessels, and your cargo being our utmost priority – Maersk will continue to sail around Africa via the Cape of Good Hope until safe passage through the area is ensured for the longer term," it said.

Houthis have carried out more than 100 attacks on ships since November 2023 and sunk two vessels, seized another and killed at least four seafarers.
They have targeted the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, which are joined by the narrow Bab al-Mandab strait, a chokepoint between the Horn of Africa and the Middle East.