How Environmental Permits will be Issued for Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Region

The Saudi Red Sea Authority (SRSA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Center for Environmental Compliance. The agreement aims to strengthen cooperation to protect the marine environment, reduce pollution, and streamline the issuance of necessary environmental permits within Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea region. It will also support the development and sustainability of coastal tourism.

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Saudi Red Sea Authority (SRSA) began its journey towards building and regulating the coastal tourism sector in 2021, with the objective of enhancing integration between the relevant entities by issuing licenses and permits, developing the necessary policies and strategies, determining infrastructure requirements, preserving the marine environment, enabling investment, and promoting navigational and marine tourism activities, which will reflect as an added value to the national economy.

Mr. Mohammed Al-Nasser, CEO of SRSA, and Eng signed the MoU. Ali Al-Ghamdi, CEO of the National Center for Environmental Compliance.

This collaboration aligns with SRSA’s core mandate, which include developing policies, strategies, plans, programs, and initiatives to regulate navigational and marine tourism activities. These efforts also include issuing permits for such activities, ensuring marine environmental protection, and setting standards for services and marina operations in coordination with relevant entities.

The National Center for Environmental Compliance is focused on enhancing environmental adherence, reducing environmental pollution, and improving the response capacity to environmental emergencies within its scope.

The MoU will facilitate coordination between the two entities in issuing environmental permits, enhancing environmental compliance, reducing pollution within the region, and promoting electronic systems. It will also support joint initiatives to protect the Red Sea’s marine environment.

The agreement further covers collaboration in research and innovation related to monitoring and assessment, the development of environmentally friendly technologies, and the formulation of preparedness and response plans for environmental emergencies and disasters. The two parties will also work together to raise environmental awareness, build capacity, provide training, and implement joint initiatives.

This MoU is part of SRSA’s broader strategy to expand its strategic partnerships, exchange expertise, and ensure the sustainable protection of the marine environment where coastal tourism activities are conducted, in line with Saudi Vision 2030.