Saudi Aramco occupies the top position among the partners of the Center since 1984. Saudi Aramco and the Center have worked together for close to three decades in maintaining a fine balance between sustainable development of marine petroleum resources and protection of the marine environment of the Kingdom. Besides seeking assistance from the Center in the assessment of environmental impacts, during prospecting for and later exploiting oil and gas resources, Saudi Aramco has also encouraged, and continues to support since 1984, basic research and developmental projects of the Center. One such major project – ‘Sustaining Research Project—Marine Environmental Studies’-, in implementation for the last three decades, has been designed to detect long-term changes in baseline environmental conditions of the Arabian Gulf coast and address specific issues arising out of impacts on the marine environment from industrial activities.

Other major collaborators of the Centre are Al Khafji Joint Operations and McDermott Arabia Company Ltd both of whom share the same concern as the Center does in sustaining the health of the marine environment and their resources while tapping sub-sea oil and gas resources in the Gulf coast. Since 2004, the Center has extended its activities also to the Red Sea coast and has entered into collaboration with Petro Rabigh (Rabigh Refining and Petrochemical Company) for assessing impacts and monitoring the environmental changes in the Rabigh area.