Today, Tuesday, the field exercise 'Response 24' is launched on the coasts of the Tabuk region to address marine pollution incidents resulting from oil spills, with the participation of 42 government and private entities. They will test their human and technical capabilities to protect the marine and coastal environment from any impact of pollution on the region's biodiversity.

The field event commander of the exercise, Naif Al-Rashidi, explained that 'Response 24' comes within the framework of activating the national plan to combat marine environment pollution by oil and harmful substances. It aims to develop the capabilities of national cadres and participating entities, assess their abilities to carry out response operations under any high-pressure and sensitive operating conditions, their rapid response to reports in any geographical area of pollution, and ensure the availability of necessary resources and equipment to protect vital and sensitive facilities.

Al-Rashidi stated that the National Center for Environmental Compliance leads the event according to the structure of the national plan in order to evaluate the efficiency of integration and coordination among the participating entities, and to enhance readiness and preparedness by implementing operational scenarios that simulate actual conditions and various emergency situations.

He emphasized the importance of the exercise in testing the effectiveness of spill containment equipment, testing technical monitoring mechanisms, leading to control, rehabilitation, combating, and cleaning. He added that this aligns with measuring the environmental emergency plans of all participating entities through accurate reports that are submitted at the end of the field exercises to the concerned authorities for development and to address gaps if identified.