Crown Prince announces Sindalah, NEOM’s first luxury island development

The island will act as a main gateway to the Red Sea (SPA)

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Updated 05 December 2022

Arab News

December 05, 2022 12:13

Crown Prince announces Sindalah, NEOM’s first luxury island development

Sindalah is one of a group of islands that will be developed in the giga-project

Updated 05 December 2022

Arab News

December 05, 2022 12:13

RIYADH: NEOM’s first luxury island destination Sindalah will play host to superyachts and top-end apartments, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman revealed as he announced the latest project set to boost Saudi Arabia’s tourism industry.

Extending over an area of approximately 840,000sq. m., Sindalah is one of a group of islands that will be developed in the giga-project, and is expected to create 3,500 jobs for the tourism sector and hospitality and leisure services.

The island will act as a main gateway to the Red Sea, offering bespoke nautical experiences and is expected to start welcoming guests from early 2024, according to the Saudi Press Agency.

An exclusive gateway to the stunning Red Sea is coming soon.
The first of NEOM’s regions to come to life, @NEOMSindalah is a luxury island destination for the world’s yachting community.#Sindalah #NEOM pic.twitter.com/IUAPzVjrdJ

— NEOM (@NEOM) December 5, 2022

The Crown Prince said: “This is another significant moment for NEOM and a major step in the Kingdom realizing its tourism ambitions under Vision 2030.

“Sindalah will be NEOM’s first luxury island and yacht club destination in the Red Sea, providing a scenic gateway to the Red Sea that will become the region’s most exciting and attractive tourism location.

“It will be a destination where travelers can experience the true beauty of NEOM and Saudi Arabia, above and below the water, making Sindalah the future of luxury travel.”

HRH the #CrownPrince: #Sindalah offers one of the most important global experiences in luxury hospitality and entertainment on the Red Sea.#SPAGOV pic.twitter.com/aBI6uZbMMB

— SPAENG (@Spa_Eng) December 5, 2022

Speaking to Arab News, Chris Newman, executive director of hotel development at NEOM, set out the range of events and activites that the island will see once it has opened.

"Sindalah expects to host sophisticated cultural events, grand sporting spectacles and glamorous social celebrations throughout the year," he said, adding "There will be a year-round calendar of imaginative experiences, curated across various seasons."

These will include a social season from December to February which will offer guests access to exclusive music concerts, art and culture events, hosted in inspiring creative venues.

The 'Glamour season' will run from March to May, and then from October and November, and will coinciding with the peak yachting event season. gGuests will enjoy exclusive access to concerts, fashion and culinary festivals as part of the glamour season.

The active season from June to September will offer guests a range of family-friendly beach and recreational activities.

"Sindalah is one of many islands in NEOM. There are additional islands in development, and we will make the announcements in due course as more information becomes available," Newman added/

Mohammed bin Salman, who is also the chairman of NEOM’s Board of Directors, said the launch of Sindalah is a major step in realizing the Kingdom’s tourism ambitions, in line with the goals outlined in Vision 2030.

Sindalah will have an 86-berth marina, as well as hosting 413 ultra-premium hotel rooms, in addition to 333 top-end serviced apartments.

Other attractions in Sindalah include a luxe beach club, yacht club and 38 unique culinary offerings that will provide an incomparable experience in the Red Sea.

Sindalah is also expected to become a popular golfing destination by offering enthusiasts the opportunity to experience a world-class 6,474-yard (5,920 meters) par 70 course. With its 18 tees, the Sindalah golf course will deliver two unique nine-hole experiences.

NEOM, the $500 billion smart city, is one of the most important projects supporting Saudi Arabia’s national tourism strategy, as the Kingdom steadily diversifies its economy which was heavily dependent on oil for decades.

In November, speaking at the World Travel and Tourism Council Global Summit, Nadhmi Al-Nasr, CEO of NEOM said that the hanging stadiums in the smart city will make tourists reimagine and visualize the future.

“In The Line, we want people to come and see how sports stadiums are built, and where they are built. The sports stadiums in NEOM are 300 meter high, loose and hanging in the air,” said Al-Nasr.

He also added that OXAGON, the industrial city in NEOM also has all the potential to become a world-class tourist destination, where visitors can come and see how the future will be.

“It is in OXAGON where all industries will be, and it is the port of NEOM. Yet, we would like to see tourists spending a day or two in OXAGON. They will see the future of industries in OXAGON. Everything in NEOM is built for the future era. We want them to come and see how future sea ports will operate,” he added.

Topics: NEOM Sindalah Island

Cooperation with Saudi Arabia central to Japan’s green ambitions

Updated 02 December 2023

Diana Farah

December 02, 2023 19:01

Cooperation with Saudi Arabia central to Japan’s green ambitions

‘We are very dependent on other countries,’ Foreign Ministry press secretary says
Kobayashi-Terada Maki speaking as COP28 opens in Dubai

Updated 02 December 2023

Diana Farah

December 02, 2023 19:01

DUBAI: Japan must maintain close partnerships with countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE if it is to achieve its goal to be a carbon-neutral economy by 2050, its Foreign Ministry press secretary said.

Kobayashi-Terada Maki made the comments in an interview with Arab News Japan as COP28 opened in Dubai.

“We are very dependent on other countries in terms of energy, and even though we are going to increase energy efficiency, we certainly need means of energy production,” she said.

Japanese companies and entities would be signing cooperation deals throughout the climate summit in the UAE, she said.

Japan is one of the only G7 countries that is close to achieving its environmental goals. Kobayashi-Terada said the country was on track to reach its target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 46 percent by 2030, compared with 2013 levels, and was working toward its goal of achieving net zero by 2050.

“We are on the right trajectory for really achieving our objectives right now. So that’s what we are very much proud of and we are very confident.”

The Japanese government has put in place a green transformation program, under which it aims raise 150 trillion yen ($1.02 trillion) in private-public investment to help achieve its goals.

“We are also using carbon pricing to subsidize companies that are heavy emitters to support energy efficiency,” Kobayashi-Terada said.

“By 2028, we will charge according to the amount of CO2 emissions for companies who are importing fossil fuels. By 2033, we are also pricing emissions so that the heavy emitters will pay for insurance. We will gradually increase this price so that companies can have incentives to reduce emissions.”

Later this month, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry will host the Asia Zero Emission Community, which aims to encourage greater cooperation between Asian countries on reducing emissions.

“We will work together with Asian countries to utilize cutting-edge technology and also provide assistance to develop their capacity,” Kobayashi-Terada said.

Speaking at COP28, Japan’s Prime Minister Kishida Fumio said his government would increase its lending to the World Bank and the African Development Bank.

“We are going to be the first contributors and we will contribute $10 million,” the press secretary said.

* This article originally appeared on Arab News Japan, click here to read it.

Topics: COP28 Saudi Arabia Japan

New Lord Mayor of London hails maturity of Gulf economies

Updated 02 December 2023

Alex Whiteman

December 01, 2023 21:17

New Lord Mayor of London hails maturity of Gulf economies

Michael Mainelli, heading to COP28 in UAE, says appointment of new UK foreign secretary will ‘help deepen connections with Saudi Arabia’
Mainelli tells Arab News he is ‘extremely impressed at the commitment to net zero’ in both Gulf states

Updated 02 December 2023

Alex Whiteman

December 01, 2023 21:17

LONDON: Maturation of Gulf states’ economies presents further opportunities to deepen the relationship between the region and the UK, the new Lord Mayor of the City of London told Arab News before departing for COP28 in the UAE.

Just a few weeks into the role and Michael Mainelli was on hand, like his predecessor, to witness yet another British Cabinet reshuffle.

But with the return to frontline politics of former Prime Minister David Cameron, Mainelli is optimistic that this will further strengthen ties with Saudi Arabia, one of several Gulf states to have announced participation in a £30 billion ($37.9 billion) investment pledge into the UK.

“When it comes to that investment it’s enormously welcome, but what I think is great is it shows how Saudi and other Gulf states have really matured their economies,” Mainelli said.

“They’ve gotten a better understanding of what they want to achieve with their sovereign wealth funds beyond just investments and returns, and that includes knowledge transfer. That’s really exciting as it offers two-way transference between us and them,” he added.

“With Cameron’s appointment (as foreign secretary), you get undoubted foreign policy expertise, including in the Gulf, which I think will prove a good move and help deepen connections with Saudi Arabia.”

Pushing the idea of London as a “hub of connectivity” appears central in Mainelli’s year-long tenure, which he said he is serving under the theme “Connect to Prosper.”

Asked where the Gulf figures in this, he replied: “The Lord Mayor typically spends 100 days traveling each year. Of this, three weeks will be in North America, three in Asia, after which a smattering of other countries.

“And then, interestingly, the Lord Mayor will typically spend two weeks of travel around the Gulf each year. This shows you just how important it is as a destination, being right up there with Asia and North America.”

COP28 in Dubai has been designed with a strict focus on carbon, which plays into Mainelli’s “personal ambition.”

While he would be “going in with an open mind,” he said he would also use the event to revive interest in the notion of voluntary carbon markets, which first emerged during COP3 in Kyoto in 1997.

“I believe there’s a lot more work to be done when it comes to carbon markets … but we do need to get these to work,” he added.

“The initial idea was to have emission trading permits and businesses paid to remove carbon from the atmosphere — typically this would involve planting trees or seagrass — with the idea being we reduce our environmental impact by taking it out of the atmosphere.

“But it became subject to a lot of issues, ranging from the difficulty of measuring to ensuring the carbon was sequestered properly, and frankly also issues of fraud and corruption.”

Despite the initial difficulties, Mainelli remains convinced that it is a feasible and practical solution to reducing carbon levels in the atmosphere.

“It’s just the market hasn’t been fully formed and the basis upon which prices are set not properly calculated,” he said.

Of particular concern is what he described as the “final bit,” adding: “Let’s say I pay you to for a ton of carbon offset a year over a 25-year period, which you agree to facilitate through the planting of a forest.

“Now let’s say having planted that forest, a hurricane hits and uproots the trees, or there’s an avalanche, perhaps there’s a parasite, and the trees are destroyed, maybe the soil doesn’t allow them to grow, or maybe at the end of the 25 years you simply chop the forest down.

“Were any of these to happen, then nothing really has been achieved. All that has happened is you’ve deferred 25 years of emissions.”

For Mainelli, the solution to the issue and restitution of carbon markets as a tool in the route to net zero resides in the “appropriate use of insurance,” which he said would put a financial impetus behind the idea and “drive clearer, harder standards.”

Of particular pertinence, he noted, would be the fact that insurers would not insure carbon capture sites without having conducted “sufficient due diligence.”

Insurers “would crawl all over whoever was planning to set up one of these carbon capture sites, and they’d want to know what trees were being used, where seeds were sourced,” he said.

“They’d survey the ground, they’d ask why it was located at the base of a mountain. They’d do all this, and not only would they insure the site, they’d be building knowledge.”

This, said Mainelli, would be pivotal as that increased understanding would serve to improve the means and methods of carbon capture deployed in these carbon markets, leading to standardization.

It is “fairly evident” that the Gulf is determined to find workable solutions to address the climate crisis, he added.

“I spent a week earlier this year in Abu Dhabi, and also spent a week last year in Saudi, really trying to understand the situation on the ground there, and I was extremely impressed at the commitment to net zero in both nations and in other areas,” he said.

Pointing to the 25 substantial hydrogen projects in place in the UAE and the 40 Saudi Arabia has in the pipeline, Mainelli said there is an opening for closer ties with the City of London.

While development of hydrogen production would always be of interest, he said there is also reason to considering the creation of a sufficient transport mechanism for getting this hydrogen out into the world. This, he added, offers “great potential for collaboration.”

Topics: COP28 UAE Dubai UK Lord mayor of London

Japan’s Saudi crude oil imports slightly up for October

Updated 01 December 2023

Arab News Japan

December 01, 2023 20:34

Japan’s Saudi crude oil imports slightly up for October

The amount was slightly up on September figures of around 29 million barrels
Tokyo’s ban on importing oil from Iran and Russia continued in October

Updated 01 December 2023

Arab News Japan

December 01, 2023 20:34

TOKYO: Japan’s imports of Saudi crude oil for October reached 30.37 million barrels (42.4 percent of its total), according to Japanese government data.
The amount was slightly up on September figures of around 29 million barrels (37.1 percent).
During October, the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry’s Agency for Natural Resources and Energy said approximately 92 percent (65.95 million barrels) of the country’s total oil imports came from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain.
Tokyo’s ban on importing oil from Iran and Russia continued in October with the remainder of its requirement coming from the US (3.5 percent), Central and South America (2.2 percent), Southeast Asia (1.3 percent), Oceania (1 percent), and Indonesia (0.2 percent).
The figures represent the quantities of oil that arrived at refineries, tanks, and warehouses in Japanese ports during September. Japan uses oil to generate around one-third of its energy needs.

Topics: Japan Saudi crude oil

Japan on track to meet emissions targets, Kishida tells COP28

Updated 01 December 2023

Arab News Japan

December 01, 2023 20:05

Japan on track to meet emissions targets, Kishida tells COP28

But world must do more to achieve climate change goals
‘Each country will aim to achieve net zero according to its circumstances,’ PM says

Updated 01 December 2023

Arab News Japan

December 01, 2023 20:05

DUBAI: Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio said more action was needed if the world was to achieve its climate change goal of keeping temperatures within 1.5 degrees Celsius of pre-industrial levels.
Speaking at the COP28 climate summit in the UAE, Kishida said Japan was on track to reach its target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 46 percent by 2030, compared with 2013 levels, and would continue to work toward its goal of net zero by 2050.
The country had already reduced its greenhouse gases by about 20 percent, he said.
As confirmed at the G7 Hiroshima Summit for economic growth and energy, and based on the GX (green transformation) Promotion Act, Japan has adopted a growth-oriented carbon policy.
Kishida said that Japan would next year become the first country in the world to adopt internationally certified transition bonds. At the same time, it would accelerate efforts to realize its green transformation and contribute to global decarbonization.
Under the framework of the Asian Zero Emission Community, Japan was committed to making renewable energy its main power source, he said.
Japan is currently the world’s third-largest producer of solar power and continues to diversify its clean energy supply chain.
“Each country will aim to achieve net zero according to its circumstances,” Kishida said.
“Coal-fired power plants that have not taken measures to reduce emissions should be addressed along the way. Japan has developed reduction measures for domestic coal without emission.”
He said Japan would end the construction of thermal power plants and was committed to providing $70 billion of public and private sector funding.
The country would also increase lending to the World Bank and Asian Development Bank to the tune of $9 billion and additional contributions would be made to the African Development Bank, he said.
Separately, Kishida and Israeli President Isaac Herzog took part in a summit on the sidelines of COP28.
Kishida said he welcomed the agreement with Hamas to release hostages and allow more humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, and asked for Israel’s cooperation to help make that happen.
He also stressed the importance of acting in accordance with international law and UN Security Council resolutions, and said Japan supported the two-state solution to allow Israel and Palestine to peacefully coexist.
Hertzog expressed his appreciation for Japan’s condemnation of terrorism and explained Israel’s position regarding the Gaza Strip, including its military actions there.

Topics: COP28 Dubai Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida climate UN

Emmanuel Macron joins global leaders in unveiling ambitious climate strategies at COP28

Updated 01 December 2023

Nour El-Shaeri

December 01, 2023 17:24

Emmanuel Macron joins global leaders in unveiling ambitious climate strategies at COP28

Updated 01 December 2023

Nour El-Shaeri

December 01, 2023 17:24

DUBAI: Global leaders have stressed the need to actively identify climate challenge priorities and establishing goals on the second day of COP28 in Dubai.

During the High-Level Segment National Statements, France’s President Emmanuel Macron underscored the urgency of phasing out fossil fuels as the world’s top priority.

“Emerging countries must phase out carbon, which is our biggest fight. If there’s a top priority, it’s for emerging countries to phase out carbon,” he stated.

Macron also emphasized the need to reduce oil usage and emissions in significant sectors like maritime and aviation.

“France has developed a strategy to phase out fossil fuels and reduce emissions. Europe is fully committed to this strategy. By 2035, a high percentage of cars produced in France and Europe will operate without oil. We are also building a housing strategy to massively reduce maritime and air emissions,” Macron explained.

Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed his country’s modest contribution to global climate challenges and its firm strategy for supporting the global cause.

“Our historical responsibility for global greenhouse emissions is less than 1 percent, yet we’re taking significant steps on our own,” Erdogan noted.

“We aim to reach net-zero emissions by 2053 and have doubled our emission reduction target for 2030. We expect to have mitigated 66.6 million tons of equivalent carbon dioxide by the end of this year,” he added.

“The share of renewables in our power generation capacity has increased to 55 percent. With this rate, Turkiye ranks fifth in Europe and twelfth in the world in terms of installed renewable energy capacity,” Erdogan stated.

Santiago Palacios, president of Paraguay, highlighted his country’s success in climate change, noting that they now generate 100 percent clean energy.

Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev affirmed his country’s commitment to the global climate agenda, especially in the supply chain sector.

“As a major exporter of uranium, providing 43 percent of the global supply, Kazakhstan plays a crucial role in carbon-free electricity generation worldwide,” Tokayev said.

“As the world moves towards decarbonization, critical minerals including rare earth metals will become indispensable. Kazakhstan is poised to become a significant supplier of these transition minerals,” he concluded.

Topics: COP28 Emmanuael Macron

Crown Prince announces Sindalah, NEOM’s first luxury island development

Crown Prince announces Sindalah, NEOM’s first luxury island development

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Cooperation with Saudi Arabia central to Japan’s green ambitions

Cooperation with Saudi Arabia central to Japan’s green ambitions

Japan on track to meet emissions targets, Kishida tells COP28

Japan’s Saudi crude oil imports slightly up for October

New Lord Mayor of London hails maturity of Gulf economies

New Lord Mayor of London hails maturity of Gulf economies

Saudi Arabia, GCC economies ‘world leading’ in green transition, says City of London’s lord mayor

Emmanuel Macron joins global leaders in unveiling ambitious climate strategies at COP28

Japan’s Saudi crude oil imports slightly up for October

Japan’s Saudi crude oil imports slightly up for October

Saudi crude production rises as global trends hits 7-month low: JODI Data

Saudi crude supplied a third of Japan’s oil needs in May

Japan on track to meet emissions targets, Kishida tells COP28

Japan on track to meet emissions targets, Kishida tells COP28

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Emmanuel Macron joins global leaders in unveiling ambitious climate strategies at COP28

Emmanuel Macron joins global leaders in unveiling ambitious climate strategies at COP28

Emmanuel Macron joins global leaders in unveiling ambitious climate strategies at COP28

UN official urges strategic plans for climate-vulnerable nations at COP28

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Crown Prince announces Sindalah, NEOM’s first luxury island development

Crown Prince announces Sindalah, NEOM’s first luxury island development

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