A new amendment has been made to plans for establishing the Marine Life Museum and Research Center in Aqaba, separating the two projects after they had originally been planned as part of a single project design, due to construction costs rising to around $81 million.
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The move, however, has paved the way for the “actual” implementation of the Marine Research Center, where scientific experiments to cultivate coral reefs have already been conducted. Work is also continuing to redesign the Marine Life Museum and study a new location for it near the Marine Science Station.
This comes as procedures continue to implement the Kingdom’s Chemical Materials Management Matrix, a step aimed at improving preparedness for industrial accidents and strengthening preventive measures at facilities.
Environment Minister Dr. Ayman Suleiman told Al-Ghad that the matrix for analyzing the current situation and the action plan for managing chemical materials in the Kingdom, prepared in 2020, had been “referred to the relevant authorities for implementation.” This resulted in the establishment of a specialized public safety directorate in Aqaba and a specialized Civil Defense center.
The move, he said, aims to “enhance preparedness and speed up response to incidents,” as demonstrated by the response to an ammonia gas leak at the Aqaba Industrial Complex earlier this month.
He stressed that a rapid response “cannot replace preventive measures” at industrial facilities, particularly when carrying out work involving materials that “may pose a danger” to workers or facilities.
He explained that handling such materials requires “prior precautionary measures,” including providing workers with appropriate protective equipment, notifying neighboring companies about the nature of the work to be carried out, and coordinating with Civil Defense to ensure it is aware of the work and prepared to “intervene” when necessary.
He said the “human factor” remains one of the key challenges in “implementing safety requirements,” because having regulations and instructions “is not enough to prevent accidents unless workers and officials comply with them within the facilities.”
He stressed the need to “hold officials accountable” for any “failure” to meet safety requirements, including safety officers at facilities and entities involved in carrying out the work, and to refer violations that warrant such action to the “courts.”
In his view, the “absence of accountability” in such incidents could lead to “repeated mistakes,” as “compliance” with safety requirements must be an “essential” part of operations at industrial facilities.
Coral experiments
Regarding the Marine Research Center and Aquarium project in Aqaba, Suleiman confirmed that actual work at the center had begun, including experiments to cultivate coral using structures manufactured with 3D-printing technology, while the Aqaba Development Corporation continues to work on redesigning the aquarium project.
He added that the original concept consisted of three interconnected components: the Aqaba Marine Reserve, the aquarium and the research center. The project was intended to combine marine environmental protection, the development of scientific research, and a tourism and educational facility allowing visitors to learn about biodiversity in the Gulf of Aqaba.
He explained that the original design called for a ship-shaped building, with the aquarium in the front section and the Marine Research Center in the rear, along with other facilities and an upper area of approximately 14,000 square meters that could be used to host various events and activities.
He noted that the changes made to the project allowed construction of the research center to move forward rather than waiting to secure the funding needed to implement the aquarium and research center together.
He said the Marine Science Station site was selected for the research center. The site covers approximately 30 dunums and was chosen because of its proximity to important coral reef areas in the Gulf of Aqaba, allowing researchers to conduct experiments and studies close to the targeted marine environment and monitor scientific activities related to coral protection and cultivation.
As for the aquarium project, Suleiman explained that it remained in place after being separated from the research center, while the Aqaba Development Corporation continues to work on redesigning it and studying options for its new location.
He noted that there is a proposal to establish it near the Marine Science Station, in an area extending along the marine reserve, although location and design options are still under consideration.
