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Mansoor bin Mohammed Opens Dubai Maritime Summit 2016
· Launching the first Dubai Maritime Innovation Awards
· Bin Sulayem: 'Relentless efforts to result in safe and sustainable maritime environment that meets 21st century requirements'
· Summit to reinforce international cooperation and stimulate new ideas in enhancing local and global sectors' competitiveness
Dubai, United Arab Emirates - In the presence of H.H. Sheikh Mansoor Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Dubai Maritime City Authority (DMCA), the government authority charged with regulating, coordinating and supervising all aspects of Dubai’s maritime sector, kicked off the Dubai Maritime Summit 2016 today (November 2, 2016, Wednesday). Discussions during the summit revolved around international cooperation in maritime technology and innovation, the need to reinforce maritime arbitration and investments in human resources for the sector’s further advancement. The event has successfully strengthened direct communication channels among pioneers of the global maritime industry. Participants commended the event for providing an ideal platform to tackle the current status of the global maritime industry and its future.
The Dubai Maritime Summit 2016 was held on the sidelines of the third edition of Dubai Maritime Week, which was renamed to UAE Maritime Week. The weeklong event is aimed at mainstreaming the successful experience of enhancing the competitiveness of Dubai as one of the most important worldwide maritime gatherings. Decision makers, senior government figures, and industry pioneers praised the latest DMCA’s move to transform Dubai Maritime Week into a national event offering a global gathering that provides a unified platform for all stakeholders to explore the future of the maritime industry in UAE and position it among the most competitive and excellent maritime centers in the world.
On this year’s Dubai Maritime Summit, winners of the first Dubai Maritime Innovation Award were revealed. The Award, which honors maritime creativity and seeks to encourage innovation within the sector, received high regional and international interest. Among the winners were Chevron Shipping Co, SEACOR Marine, GAC EnvironHull Limited, Maersk Training, and DP World. They were cited for their valuable contributions to the local sector’s growth, development, and prosperity according to the highest standards of creativity, innovation and excellence.
High-level discussions among global maritime industry leaders, decision makers, policy makers, senior government officials, and regional and international pioneers of the maritime sector dominated the summit. Key participants headed by H.E. Kitack Lim, Secretary General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO); H.E. Dr. Abdullah Belhaif Al Nuaimi, UAE Minister of Infrastructure Development and Chairman of the Federal Transport Authority - Land and Maritime.
Renowned international economic expert and journalist Todd Benjamin moderated the discussions spread over five sessions. The first session titled ‘The State of the Global Industry’ saw the participation of H.E. Admiral Mohab Mamish, Chairman of Suez Canal Authority; Khalid Hashim, Managing Director of Precious Shipping PCL; Stephan Piworus, Senior Vice President, Sales - Ports & Terminals, Identec Solutions and Board Member of MCN (Maritime Cluster Northern Germany) and DEMAKO (German Association of Maritime Communication).
The second session, ‘The Global Shipping Markets,’ was graced by Ahmed Al Falahi, Chief Executive Officer of Gulf Energy Maritime Company; Abdulkareem Al Masabi, Executive Vice President-Ports, Abu Dhabi Ports; Stavroula Betsakou, Head of Tanker Research at Howe Robinson Partners; and Rene Kofod- Olsen, Chief Executive Officer of Topaz Energy and Marine Company.
The third session on the ‘Launch of the Emirates Maritime Arbitration Centre (EMAC)’ provided a platform to discuss the progress in maritime arbitration. Its distinguished speakers include Majid Obaid Bin Bashir, Vice Chairman of EMAC; Mark Beer, OBE, Chief Executive and Registrar, Dubai International Financial Centre Courts; Richard Briggs, Executive Partner at Hadef and Partners; Capt. Jitendra Misra, Managing Director of Emarat Maritime LLC; and Edward Newitt, Partner at Holman Fenwick Willan.
‘Innovation in Shipping Technology’ dominated the fourth session. The attendees include Ali Shehab Ahmed, Deputy Chief Executive of Kuwait Oil Tanker Company (KOTC); Captain Gamal Fekry, CEO of Red Sea Marine Management, Dubai Multi Commodities Centre; Oskar Levander, Vice President of the Innovation Department at Rolls Royce; and Ronald Spithout, President of Inmarsat Maritime.
The fifth and final session delved on ‘Maritime Regulation.’ Some of the high-profile participants were Essam Al Tamimi, Senior Partner, Al Tamimi & Co; Jasmin Fichte, Managing Partner, Fichte & Co Legal Consultancy; Ashok Mahapatra, Director of the Maritime Safety Division at the IMO; and Katharina Stanzel, Managing Director, INTERTANKO.
H.E. Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem said that the summit’s success is due to the continued support and patronage of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council. He noted that the event is staged as Dubai is becoming an effective player on the global maritime map. He praised the high-level international participation that paved the way for the development of new and innovative ideas meant to strengthen the global sector’s competitiveness, as well as support ongoing efforts to catapult Dubai and the UAE into the ranks of world-class global maritime capitals by 2020.
H.E. Bin Sulayem added: “Discussions among renowned pioneers, experts, and decision makers laid a solid foundation for technological innovation in maritime industry, efficient maritime arbitration and legislative structure, and optimal investment in human element – all of which are crucial to meeting emerging challenges and maximizing opportunities in regional and international sectors in accordance with the 21st century requirements.”
“We look forward to building bridges of international cooperation in order to develop a clear roadmap towards a free, secure, integrated and sustainable maritime environment. This is part of our efforts to increase the industry’s share to post-oil economy era in accordance with the wise guidance of our leaders. We are confident that the summit’s outcomes will yield positive results and play a role in our implementation of Dubai Maritime Sector Strategy (MSS). MSS is working towards strengthening Dubai’s and the UAE’s position as a leading destination for maritime investments supported by advanced infrastructure and legislative frameworks, modern ports, and stable economy,” H.E. stated
For his part, Amer Ali, DMCA’s Executive Director, was happy with the summit’s successful inauguration. According to him, the summit provided a venue to define new paths and reshape the sector’s future based on innovation, smart technology, and excellence in arbitration and legislation in line with the comprehensive and sustainable development requirements.
He added: “The first session of ‘Dubai Maritime Innovation Award,’ on the other hand, was one of the summit’s highlights this year. The Award seeks to bolster innovative initiatives to make Dubai a global center of excellence and innovation. We are pleased to announce the start of the preparations for ‘Dubai Maritime Summit 2018’ as we look forward to speeding up Dubai’s and the UAE’s march towards becoming one of the most competitive, unique and comprehensive maritime centers in the world.”
The Dubai Maritime Summit 2016 took place on the side lines of Dubai Maritime Week which is running until tomorrow, Thursday, November 3, 2016. The Dubai Maritime Week includes other leading events such as ‘UAE Maritime Leaders Seminar,’ ‘Seatrade Maritime Middle East,’ ‘Global Shippers Forum’ and ‘DMCA Partners Appreciation Gathering.’
The third edition of the Dubai Maritime Week 2016 has attracted over 350 exhibitors from leading international maritime companies and more than 7,000 visitors comprising leading local, regional and global experts and marine specialists. They gathered to discuss the latest developments and study the most important solutions and promising opportunities in the domestic and international maritime sectors.
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© Press Release 2016
