- Bin Sulayem: ‘Promoting a culture of cooperation among leading maritime clusters is the key to exploring new prospects for building a more sustainable and developed maritime sector to propel maritime sectors across the world’
- Amer Ali: ‘It’s an ideal platform for promoting knowledge & expertise to help boost the sustainability of Dubai’s maritime sector’
In an unprecedented move, the Emirate of Dubai has witnessed the launch of the Global Council of Maritime Clusters, the first of its kind in the world. The initiative aims to consolidate and enhance the frameworks of cooperation among maritime leaders to promote the sustainability, competitiveness, and attractiveness of the maritime sector worldwide. The new entity was revealed on the sidelines of Dubai Maritime Agenda 2017 that was held today (Tuesday, October 10, 2017) under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council.
The DMCA explained that the Council was established in response to the urgent need for consolidating efforts among the world’s leading maritime clusters to address looming challenges and pursue opportunities in the maritime industry. It will provide an ideal platform for stimulating the growth and sustainability of maritime businesses related to ships, forwarding, harbors, maritime engineering, logistics, maritime support, and backstopping services.
H.E. Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Chairman of the Ports, Customs & Free Zone Corporation in Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Maritime City Authority (DMCA), has expressed pride at the new milestone which adds to Dubai’s long list of achievements on the world maritime map.
He said: “It’s not surprising that Dubai is hosting the first-ever Global Council of Maritime Clusters as it moves ahead on the path of excellence under the wise vision and directions of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, who taught us to always seek to be the first when he said “We settle for no rank but the first.” It was in this context that this milestone has come to position the UAE as a world leader in promoting a culture of cooperation among leading international maritime clusters in the bid to pursue new opportunities for building a more sustainable and developed industry to propel the maritime sectors across the world.”
“The Global Council of Maritime Clusters reflects the commitment of the Dubai Maritime Cluster Office to implement forward-looking initiatives for supplying the maritime cluster with a sustainable degree of competitiveness, rejuvenation, and attractiveness at all levels. The Council is an advanced step towards fulfilling the joint aspiration of achieving the highest operational efficiency standards while upholding the mutual interests of members. We confidently look forward to the new Council’s contributions in enhancing the role and influence of Dubai and the UAE in shaping the growth of the world’s maritime sector, underpinned by sustainability, innovation, and knowledge. It provides an ideal platform for molding the future of the maritime sector in line with the requirements for sustainable development,” Bin Sulayem added.
The Dubai-headquartered Global Council of Maritime Clusters’ membership will include representatives of the top maritime clusters in Asia, North and South America, Africa, and Europe. This is in keeping with the clear vision of mobilizing international efforts towards developing innovative solutions to capitalize on promising opportunities within the world’s leading maritime clusters for the benefit of ship owners and the support of the maritime sectors.
Regional and international maritime industry experts, leaders, and decision makers participating in Dubai Maritime Agenda 2017 have hailed the launch of the Council as an unprecedented credit to the globally prestigious reputation and leadership of Dubai as an influential force in setting future directions for the maritime sector. They also lauded Dubai’s efforts to consolidate the frameworks of international cooperation to overcome obstacles and take full advantage of opportunities for maximizing the contributions of the international maritime cluster to a safe and sustainable future.
For his part, Amer Ali, Executive Director of DMCA, said that the importance of the Global Council of Maritime Clusters stems from its prospective role in promoting strong relations among the world’s leading maritime clusters. He also noted that the Council will serve as an ideal platform for exchanging knowledge and experience and bringing more momentum to the sustainability of the worldwide maritime sector.
Ali said: “Establishing Dubai as the Council’s headquarters is very symbolic, as it will enable us to continue promoting the competitiveness of the Dubai Maritime Cluster as one of the best maritime destinations in the world. We are thrilled to launch the Council during the Dubai Maritime Agenda, which has culminated in recommendations for advancing efforts to enhance the pillars of smart technology, arbitration, and training. The goal is to leverage the competitive fundamentals of the local maritime cluster in order to create a safe, integrated, and sustainable maritime sector. Through this first-ever global initiative, we shall strive to continue our influential role as an active partner in advancing the local and global maritime industry to achieve the highest levels of growth, sustainability and excellence.”
Categories
- Log in to post comments