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ST. PETERSBURG/WAM
Suhail bin Mohammed Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, participated in the Meeting of BRICS Ministers of Transport, hosted in St. Petersburg, Russia, to drive international cooperation and sharing of experiences in the transport sector.
In his speech at the meeting, Al Mazrouei expressed the UAE’s readiness to cooperate with BRICS countries in improving connectivity, diversifying logistics supply chains, and developing streamlined international transport routes that serve their best interests.
He said, “The integration of multimodal transport holds great importance as a main driver of socio-economic prosperity. We strongly believe that with proper transport infrastructure and cost-effective international transport routes, we can see a substantial increase in the trade flow and cross-border movement of people.”
He added, “We are shifting to smart mobility and working relentlessly to further develop our urban public transport systems. We have set ambitious targets by the year 2031, including increasing the share of trips utilising environmentally sustainable transportation methods to 30 percent of all trips, expanding the utilisation of autonomous vehicles to 15 percent of local trips, promoting public and shared transportation to represent 25 percent of all trips, and raising public transportation user satisfaction to 96 percent.”
Speaking on the maritime transport sector, the Minister said, “The maritime sector serves as a key economic driver for the UAE, with a significant contribution to the GDP, exceeding US$34 billion. This vital sector fosters a vibrant ecosystem, supporting over 27,000 national and international companies and a fleet of over 863 national ships. As one of the top five most important maritime centres worldwide, the UAE is a leading player in the global maritime industry, ranking third globally as a supplier of fuel to ships, eighth globally in efficiency in container handling, and ninth globally in the global efficiency of seaport service index.”
As for land transportation, Al Mazrouei said, “Land transport contributes a significant amount, close to $4 billion, to the UAE’s GDP. This highlights its crucial role in the country’s economic success. The UAE has made a substantial commitment to its road infrastructure, with investments surpassing $6 billion. As a result, the UAE ranked 5th globally and first among Arab countries in road quality, according to a report issued by the World Economic Forum.”
Furthermore, he highlighted the importance of the Etihad railway in supporting land freight and the movement of people. He pointed out that the railway extends for 1,200 km across the UAE and links the main centres of trade.
Highlighting the role of green mobility in decarbonising the transport sector, the Minister said, “As the world strives to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 in line with the objectives of the Paris Agreement, this raises an urgent need to promote green mobility and accelerate the reduction of CO2 emissions coming from the transport sector, one of the biggest emitters of greenhouse gases. Promoting the shift to electric vehicles as a sustainable transport option is one of the key drivers for decarbonising the sector, addressing climate change, and mitigating pollution.”
He added, “Our EV market is growing steadily as we plan to increase the share of electric and hybrid vehicles to 50 percent of total vehicles on our roads by 2050. EV adoption in the UAE is rising significantly. As of 2023, the total share of EVs is estimated at 3 percent of all vehicles with over 800 chargers available across the Emirates.”
At the end of the meeting, participating ministers agreed on a declaration that highlights the importance of transport in driving economic growth and opportunities, facilitating trade and investment, and keeping supply chains open, safe, secure, transparent, and resilient for improving connectivity. Moreover, the declaration recognises the importance of innovative technologies and regulations in facilitating transportation of goods and passengers leading to the substantial increase in the trade flow and cross-border movement of people. It also emphasises the importance of innovation and new technology in building an inclusive and sustainable economy, promoting digital development, automating manual processes, and driving inclusive economic and investment growth.
On the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Al Mazrouei participated in a panel session titled ‘The Future of Oil and Gas Market’, alongside His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al-Saud, Saudi Minister of Energy, and Alexander Novak, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia.
Moreover, Al Mazrouei held a bilateral meeting with Roman Starovoit, Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation, where they explored ways to further collaboration in the transport sector between the two countries.
Al Mazrouei held another bilateral meeting with Kamel al-Wazir, the Transport Minister of Egypt, where they underscored the importance of ongoing collaboration between the UAE and Egypt to enhance the efficiency and integration of the transport and logistics sectors.