The Dubai Maritime City Authority (DMCA), along with representatives from the UAE’s ports and maritime entities, recently welcomed Francis Zacharia, Secretary General of the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA), and his high-level delegation. During the meeting, the DMCA has showcased its most outstanding achievements; last year’s national initiatives positioning Dubai as one of the world's best maritime capitals; and growing global recognition of the emirate’s leadership in the global maritime sector. During the meeting, DMCA highlighted Dubai’s position as the first Arab city to join the ranks of international major maritime players after it was ranked fifth in the world’s most competitive and attractive maritime clusters as per the report of Menon Business Economics.
Ali noted that IALA’s Secretary General’s visit reflects the high confidence of the international community in Dubai being one of the leading players in global maritime economy after it was ranked fifth in the ‘Competitiveness and Attractiveness’ Index; sixth in the leading maritime capitals in the future, and 10th in the world's top maritime centers in 2017.
Ali added: “We are honored to present Dubai’s achievements as it pursues to attain global leadership in the maritime industry. Our accomplishments would not have been possible without the unlimited support of our leadership and our fruitful strategic partnerships with the public and private sectors and regional and international maritime authorities. DMCA is in the process of enhancing its cooperation with its partners, including IALA, to continue launching qualitative initiatives aimed at upgrading the maritime cluster in Dubai and the UAE. We will continue to focus on developing a world-class maritime infrastructure, legislation, and logistics capabilities to match with the best in the world and enhance the confidence of regional and international investors. The local maritime sector is vital to the country’s economic diversification plans and a key contributor to building a highly sustainable, productive, innovative, and competitive economy.”
The attendees learned about the DMCA’s strategic initiatives to support the growth of the local maritime cluster that currently hosts more than 5,500 companies with 13,000 activities such as the Dubai Maritime Virtual Cluster (DMVC), which seeks to promote the involvement of the global maritime community in the activities of the local maritime cluster in an immediate and effective manner, based on four pillars: the development of maritime cluster, empowerment, awareness and participation. The initiative aims to promote innovation, research and development, training, and exchange of the best international maritime practices, as well as give maritime industry leaders an access to world-class maritime services in Dubai.
The participants commended the DMCA’s commitment to unify all efforts to increase Dubai’s competitiveness and establish its leadership on the international maritime map through the foundation of the Maritime Advisory Council, a strategic platform promoting public-private partnership based on transparency, good governance, and constructive dialogue. DMCA also showcased the ‘Innovation Quay’, an initiative provides an environment for innovation and creativity by adopting technological innovations in line with the requirements of the 21st century.
The delegation showed interest in ‘Maritime Dubai,’ which is being managed by the Dubai Maritime Cluster Office, the initiative that showcases the uniqueness of the comprehensive maritime sector. The qualitative ‘Maritime Dubai’ reflects DMCA’s commitment to promoting Dubai as a major maritime gateway for international trade in accordance with an integrated framework to develop maritime policies and form robust coordination among government and local maritime entities, regional and international maritime organizations, and free zones to boost the sector contribution to the country’s economic diversification efforts.
The presentation also highlighted ‘Sea Dubai,’ which aims to make Dubai a leading global leisure destination. The initiative also aims to transform the emirate into a hub with one of the world's most sophisticated and competitive maritime capitals through faster facilitation of registration and licensing procedures and identification of key locations of marine anchors operating in the emirate and the types of yachts they receive, as well as working with private companies leasing marine vessels and others.
Ali invited IALA’s Secretary General of IALA to the UAE Maritime Week 2018 to be held from October 28 to November 1, 2018. The event will feature world-class events, including Dubai Maritime Summit 2018, which will witness the launch of the second edition of the Dubai Innovation Award; the Sea trade Middle East Maritime Exhibition, the UAE Future Maritime Leaders Seminar; and the Sea Trade Middle East Awards. The UAE Maritime Week aims to unify regional and global efforts to overcome challenges and make use of opportunities to activate the role of the global maritime clustering to contribute in building a secure and sustainable future.
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