As security concerns rise in Saudi Arabia due to attacks by Houthi rebels, Samsung E&A has implemented measures to enhance employee safety by restricting new deployments and recalling staff on business trips. However, the company has decided to retain a minimal number of essential personnel on-site to ensure the continuity of ongoing projects.
According to industry sources, Samsung E&A has recently enacted temporary measures in response to the changing situation in Saudi Arabia. These measures include limiting new assignments and business trips, as well as requiring employees currently on business trips to return immediately.
The company has also restricted the return of employees who have completed regular vacations to Saudi Arabia. However, to maintain the necessary workforce for local project operations and to ensure existing employees can take their vacations, the company will allow essential personnel to return to the site with their consent.
The routes for departing personnel have also been altered. Those eligible for regular vacations or reassignment will now travel overland to neighboring countries before taking flights, instead of using airports within Saudi Arabia. The company plans to adjust these measures as needed based on the situation in Saudi Arabia and surrounding countries.
It is important to note that these measures do not signify a complete withdrawal of personnel from Saudi Arabia. A Samsung E&A representative stated, "This is a temporary measure for employee safety, and essential personnel for project execution are being maintained."
Samsung E&A is monitoring the local situation in real-time through its Middle East emergency response task force and will continue to implement safety measures for employees and their families.
This decision comes amid escalating safety concerns following a series of attacks by Houthi rebels in Saudi Arabia. The rebels have targeted key locations, including the international airport in the capital Riyadh and the headquarters of the state oil company Aramco. Tensions are rising as further attacks on Saudi airports and oil facilities have been threatened.
Meanwhile, Samsung E&A considers Saudi Arabia a key overseas market and is engaged in large-scale energy plant projects. In 2024, the company secured a contract worth approximately $6 billion for the Fadhili gas expansion project from Saudi Aramco. In September of this year, it signed a contract worth about $3.5 billion for the construction of the 'SAN-7' fertilizer plant with Saudi SABIC Agri-Nutrients. This project aims to build ammonia and urea fertilizer production facilities in the Jubail Industrial City, with completion targeted for 2030.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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