DMCA has organized a broad-based meeting of all Maritime associations in Dubai on the sidelines of “UAE Maritime Week 2019.” The meeting saw the development of a comprehensive roadmap aimed to bring all maritime associations and partner global communities together under the umbrella of the ‘Global council for maritime clusters.’ This first-of-its-kind initiative aims at developing collaborative frameworks among maritime sector pioneers to reinforce the sustainability and competitiveness of the sector. The council is comprised of members that include the Maritime Community of Hamburg, Vancouver, Panama and Ireland. A group of virtual offices will be launched to serve as a platform to exchange real-time expertise, information and services around the clock.

The meeting’s attendees emphasized on the importance of building firm partnerships to help make a sustainable world-class maritime sector a reality. They also stressed on the necessity of unifying and navigating joint efforts towards developing innovative solutions aimed at utilizing opportunities in the best marine capitals in the world, in favor of shipowners and maritime affiliates. The world -class maritime achievements of the UAE were also highlighted during the meeting, including its recent achievement  of being recognized as the ‘Top marine capital for 2019.’

The agenda covered discussions on promoting maritime integration and foster effective communication between maritime stakeholders. Present during the meeting were influential figures and decision makers including Mr. Iason (Jason) Georgiou, UNSSA Vice President, Omair Bin Obaid Armathi: Dubai Fishermen Coop Association, along with senior officials from DSAA – Ship Agents Association, UAE Shipping Association (UAESA), Dubai Council for Marine and Maritime Industries, The Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers, Maritime Domestic & Leisure Group  – Rasiena, National Association of Freight and Logistics (NAFL) and International Institute of Marine Surveying.

The attendees unanimously agreed on the need to unite joint efforts to move forward in the implementation of strategic plans and directions to enhance the competitiveness, efficiency and attractiveness of the maritime sector within the framework of effective partnership between the public and private sectors.

DMCA officials present at the meeting were Amer Ali, Executive Director; Hamed Bin Lahej, Consultant; Adel Clenter, Director of Customer Care; Khalid Meftah, Director of Maritime Development at DMCA and Khalifa Al Neyadi, Director of Strategy and Quality Department.

Amer Ali explained that the DMCA seeks to develop ways on how to enhance maritime integration frameworks, unify capabilities and guide efforts in serving Dubai’s leadership as the best regional and global provider of maritime services. He said, “The meeting provided a great opportunity to highlight the achievements of the local maritime sector, which push us to continue to launch specific initiatives aimed at enhancing Dubai’s competitiveness on the global maritime map, We laud the remarkable attention paid by our wise leadership to enhance the contribution of the maritime and logistics sector in driving the path of growth and economic diversification through the development of infrastructure, legislation, maritime and logistics services that make Dubai the world’s main port and a major terminal between East, West, North and South.”

He concluded: “We are committed to continue in developing integrated frameworks for communication with government entities and local, regional and international organizations concerned with maritime affairs. Keeping in mind the need to provide the means to enhance the confidence of regional and international investors in the competitive marine environment in Dubai, which is steadily moving towards building a sustainable economic model driven by productivity, innovation and high competitiveness.”

Participants reviewed their achievements and plans in support of the local maritime community, which represented an ideal opportunity to explore new horizons in support of the national trend towards enhancing the maritime and logistical capabilities that will ensure the management of maritime operations in accordance with the highest standards of occupational safety and best environmental practices and local and international decisions.

DMCA’s officials gave a presentation highlighting Dubai’s march towards global maritime leadership under the pioneering efforts of the country’s wise leadership to guide the growth of the ships, ports, engineering operations and maritime support sectors, as well as employing and adapting R&D, innovation and advanced technology to enhance the competitiveness, attractiveness and inclusiveness of the local maritime sector, which currently hosts 7400 companies and 13,000 maritime and investment activities, reinforcing its pivotal role as a tributary of economic diversification.

The meeting served as a strategic platform to shed light on the new opportunities within the maritime community in Dubai, in light of the continuous efforts to promote air and sea freight and logistics integration and in line with the national trend towards the implementation of the ‘Dubai Silk Road strategy,’ which aims to support the strategic role of the emirate in the field of maritime, air and services Logistics and international trade flow.

‘UAE Maritime Week 2019’ will allow global maritime industry leaders to learn the latest innovations in shipping and cargo, which help facilitate, revitalize, and support the global maritime trade. This year’s edition will feature special events such as ‘The Dubai Maritime Agenda;’ ‘Seatrade Maritime Awards Middle East, Indian Subcontinent and Africa;’ ‘Seatrade Offshore Marine and Workboats Middle East;’ ‘Seatrade ShipTech Middle East;’ ‘Marine Insurance Conference;’ and ‘Dubai Maritime Law Conference.’