Dubai Maritime City Authority (DMCA) briefed H.E. Sultan Bin Sulayem, Chairman of Dubai Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation and President of Dubai Maritime City Authority, on the latest progress being made in the implementation of the Strategic Maritime Plan of Dubai. The strategy is focused on the development, organization, as well as promotion of the maritime sector and consolidating the position of the enchanting Middle East yacht charter destination – Dubai as a world class maritime center.

H.E. Sultan bin Sulayem, Chairman of Dubai Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation and President of Dubai Maritime City Authority, with the work team in power while checking the progress of work in Dubai’s maritime sector

The briefing took place on the sidelines of a special meeting where the DMCA’s officials informed President about the latest updates, developments and achievements made in developing and strengthening the competitive advantages of Dubai across the global and regional maritime industry. This will also provide necessary infrastructure to improve the local maritime sector in line with the highest standards and international best practices.

H.E. Bin Sulayem was informed about the various maritime registrations and licensing services carried out by the Authority in the ‘Dubai Maritime City’ development and emphasized the importance of providing different ways to support various maritime companies that have invested in the City and working in Dubai. This will have a positive impact on the maritime sector in general in the emirate.

H.E. Bin Sulayem said that the local maritime sector represents a fundamental pillar to boost sustainable growth and overall development in the future. It also acts as a key partner in promoting Dubai’s competitiveness regionally and internationally. He pointed out: “Maritime Strategy has gained a particular importance as it is the first plan centered on a quantum leap within the maritime sector in Dubai in order to activate its contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP) and consolidating its role as one of the most prominent value-added economic sectors. It is the embodiment of the vision and the directives of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.”

Performance indicators and completion stages of the strategic maritime sector were also reviewed. It yielded, till now, tangible results on the level of development of new regulations that will ensure the highest standards in maritime safety and best practices of maritime operations in the management of maritime operational processes. This will boost the productivity and provide competitive advantages for the sector and help to create an integrated and sustainable maritime environment which would respond effectively to the market changes. It will also keep up with emerging trends and attract regional and international investors to take advantage of Dubai’s growing position as a major player on the global maritime map.

The local maritime sector recently made major leaps in terms of its direct contribution to Dubai’s GDP, which amounted to 4.6 per cent or the equivalent of 14.4 billion AED. Maritime operations, maritime engineering, ports and shipping come at the top of marine components that contribute to the local economy, followed by maritime and recreational services and different offshore support services. The components of the local marine sector played an active role in supplying the labor market with more than 75,000 promising job opportunities to meet the aspirations of qualified human resources, especially in maritime operations, maritime engineering and ports, which accounted for 51 per cent and 25 per cent of the employment rates within Dubai’s maritime sector.

H.E. Bin Sulayem commended the tireless efforts made by the team in making the positive change in the maritime industry in the Emirate of Dubai through a series of pilot initiatives which focused on enacting sophisticated and modern regulations and legislation. He congratulated them for applying the highest standards in maritime safety as well as developing integrated logistics’ programs. The team was also appreciated for creating the infrastructure in the emirate in order to establish clear and strong foundations to create a renewable and secure maritime sector.

H.E. Bin Sulayem noted that the positive results achieved to date are primarily due to the constructive cooperation between governmental and non-governmental entities and the unlimited support of the Executive Council of the Emirate of Dubai. He further emphasized on them to continue to work hard to develop all the components of the local maritime sector and the recruitment of promising potentials and inherent opportunities in the best form to accelerate the pace of transforming Dubai to one of the most advanced maritime centers in the world.

H.E. Bin Sulayem added that the maritime plan is gaining a strategic dimension as it is centered on the development of all components of the maritime sector. He said: “We are confident in our ability to achieve qualitative development and make the radical shift to promote the local maritime sector to a new level of growth and sustainability in collaboration with our strategic partners in the public and private sectors. We look forward for further work on the application of maritime strategic axes which will have a central role in activating the contribution of the maritime sector in driving the growth of vital economic sectors and turn Dubai into a major center of entrepreneurship and investment.”

The Maritime Strategy is based on a clear vision represented in strengthening Dubai’s leadership as a global hub for navigation and maritime services in accordance with a set of pillars and core values related to; leadership, distinguished customer service, innovation, cooperation, excellence in human resources and preserving the marine environment. Also, it is closely linked to Dubai Strategic Plan, which is based on consolidating a culture of quality and excellence and driving growth within the vital economic sectors, particularly the maritime sector and increasing the rates of real growth of the GDP in the emirate.

H.E. Bin Sulayem was also briefed on the latest achievements and progress of work in the various projects and initiatives of DMCA, which support the development of renewable and safe Dubai’s maritime sector.  He briefed on the course of action in maritime operations and the organization of various berths in the waters of the Emirate, as well as to learn about the latest update on safety and navigational instructions laid down by the Authority in the infrastructure of Dubai’s coast and to follow-up continuously with the mechanisms of action with various teams of specialists.