RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman sent a cable of condolences to Pakistani President Arif Alvi on Monday, following the collision of two passenger trains in the southern Pakistani province of Sindh, which killed and injured several people.
An express train barreled into another that had derailed in Pakistan before dawn Monday, killing at least 51 people and setting off a desperate effort to search the crumpled cars for survivors and the dead, authorities said. More than 100 other people were wounded.
“We have learned of the news of the train collision in southern Pakistan, and the resulting deaths and injuries, and as we send to Your Excellency, the families of the deceased and the people of Pakistan our deepest condolences,” the king said in a statement.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also sent a similar cable to the Pakistani president.
Earlier on Monday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Kingdom was deeply saddened over the accident and “expressed its sincere condolences and sympathy to the families of the dead, and to Pakistan, the leadership, government and people,” wishing the injured a speedy recovery.
(With AP)
Saudi Arabia says deeply saddened over train collision in Pakistan’s Sindh province
https://arab.news/8vw8u
Saudi Arabia says deeply saddened over train collision in Pakistan’s Sindh province
- King Salman and the crown prince sent cables of condolences to Pakistani President Arif Alvi
- A packed Pakistani inter-city train plowed into another express that had derailed just minutes earlier
Rolls-Royce highlights importance of Saudization for defense readiness
- Firm’s Saudization over 80%, vice president tells Arab News
- Cate Wilkenson spotlights plans to support defense industry
RIYADH: Rolls-Royce, which has most of its in-country workforce consisting of citizens, has highlighted the importance of Saudization in supporting the Kingdom’s defense readiness.
Cate Wilkinson, senior vice president at Rolls-Royce PLC Middle East, told Arab News on the sidelines of the World Defense Show recently that the company’s Saudization level is “over 80 percent” in the Kingdom, with figures varying by site.
“Depending on whether or not we’re talking about our MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) facility in Taif or more generally, we are well over 82 percent, nearly 90 percent,” she said.
Wilkinson said the company focuses on developing local talent as a part of that push. “We take talented Saudis from fresh out of school, and we give them skills and help them grow.”
She said localization strengthens the company’s day-to-day processes inside the Kingdom. “We are integrated within the nation. We are there to support it regardless of what happens.”
“Having a Saudi team doing work on Saudi engines is really key for us.”
Wilkinson said predictive maintenance — anticipating problems before they happen — has become essential for fleet availability and mission readiness.
“Predictive maintenance and digital twinning is mission critical for our fleet these days.”
She explained that digital twin technology helps Rolls-Royce monitor performance and anticipate deterioration, improving planning and sustainment.
“Digital-twinning technology helps us understand how the engine is working and how the engine is deteriorating, which means we can provide a better, more cost-effective service to the customer.”
Wilkinson said she is seeing increased demand from Saudi Arabia customers for more integrated approaches, linked to the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 trajectory.
“There’s a lot of opportunity to do things better, to become more integrated and support the defense of Saudi Arabia,” she said.
As an example of Rolls-Royce’s footprint beyond aviation, Wilkinson pointed to the company’s maritime engine base.
“We have about 450 reciprocating engines in the Saudi Navy, Coast Guard and fleets,” she said.
Wilkinson added that it is an area the company has not historically highlighted as much, but sees as increasingly important.
On sustainability, Wilkinson said: “Sustainable fuels is something that we’ve been looking at across the whole of the group for quite a number of years.”
From a defense perspective, she said the company has been working with air forces on reciprocating engines — particularly in the UK and US.
“Within the reciprocating engine side of things, we’re looking at alternative fuels … so it wouldn’t necessarily be diesel going forward,” she said.
Wilkinson argued that sustainability in defense must be broader than fuel efficiency alone. “It’s not just about sustainable aviation fuels.”
She added that defense organizations want to move toward a more sustainable future.
“It’s not just about the fuel they burn. It’s about what you do with them afterwards,” Wilkinson said. “It’s all the way through the life cycle, it’s disposal as well.”
