Dubai Maritime City Authority to launch second term of Maritime Advisory Council

• Sultan Bin Sulayem: The Council employs the leading maritime expertise in enhancing Dubai's global competitiveness
• New Council under the leadership of Maersk Global Operations Dubai Regional President Mark Gistebrich
• Mohammed Al Muallem, Saeed Al Malik, Christian Nyholm, and Anthony Weller appointed as Vice-Presidents for key sub-sectors 

The Dubai Maritime City Authority (DMCA) of the Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation has revealed that it has already started to adopt and implement the final phase of its strategy related to the incoming second terms of the Maritime Advisory Council, an initiative aimed at promoting and developing close partnerships between the government and private sectors to promote Dubai as a global maritime capital. The beginning of the new term signals a new stage of further cooperation in the efforts towards integration between maritime leaders from the public and private sectors in order to drive the transformation of Dubai to a city of sustainable economic growth--in line with the objectives of the Dubai 2021 Plan. The new council will build on what has been accomplished in the concluded initial stage and develop new frameworks to improve the quality, efficiency and comprehensiveness of the maritime sector, complementing the emirate's pivotal role as one of the world's top maritime capitals for 2017.

As part of the strategic move, Mark Gistebrich, Regional President of Maersk Global Operations in Dubai, has been appointed to lead the Council for the new term. The leadership of the second term ably reflects DMCA's commitment to the importance of achieving practical partnership between the public and private maritime sectors. Mohammed Al Muallem, Saeed Al Malik, Christian Nyholm, and Anthony Weller were appointed as Vice Presidents for key sub-sectors that include High Seas & Marine Services, Shipowners & Shipping Services, Ports & Infrastructure and Maritime Support Services.

His Excellency Sultan bin Sulayem, Chairman of Dubai Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation and President of DMCA, expressed his pleasure in announcing the completion of the strategies for the formation of the new Maritime Advisory Council, under the leadership of Mark Gistebrich. He pointed out that the Maritime Advisory Council is based on a clear message to guide the pioneering use of marine expertise in support of national efforts to enhance Dubai's global competitiveness. Bin Sulayem explained that the importance of the Council stems from its structure, which was developed based on the consolidation of cooperation between the public and private sectors, inspired by the vision and guidance of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, who stressed on the importance of building productive partnerships and expanding the scope of joint investments in areas that serve the path of economic and social development, including the maritime industry.

Bin Sulayem added, “We welcome Mark Gistebrich to the Maritime Advisory Council and we are confident that he will be able to successfully lead the council to its next stage. Dubai has taken advanced steps on the international leadership path in maritime affairs and has been able to reap the highest level of achievements--being the fifth among the world's most competitive and attractive maritime clusters in 2017 and recognized as the first Arab city to achieve this. The adoption of the Maritime Advisory Council is a step forward in achieving the sustainability of our competitiveness, especially as it is the result of the fruitful efforts of the DMCA and its strategic partners to develop a common platform to capitalize on the growth prospects and exceptional advantages of the local maritime cluster—further serving the goals of 2021 Plan, which aims to make the emirate a major hub in the global economy.”

The Maritime Advisory Council is strategically important as it is a link between the local, regional and international maritime segments. It is also recognized as a key contributor in raising the confidence of the international investment community, which is based on a vision to providing an integrated portfolio of advisory services and creative ideas in support of the goals of the country’s maritime sector strategy to be one of the world's leading maritime clusters.

The new Council will be formed in accordance with a clear strategy that aligns and arranges Dubai's maritime sector with four sub-sectors such as the high seas and maritime services, shipowners and shipping services, ports and infrastructure and marine support services. The board will include prominent maritime personalities and senior executives from Dubai's leading maritime companies, which will be announced soon.

Amer Ali, Executive Director of DMCA, said, “The launch of the second edition of the Maritime Advisory Council is paving the way for us to continue the success of the Dubai Maritime Sector Strategy, which is a key pillar to embody the strategic goals of Dubai Vision 2021. The Council's responsibilities will focus on providing the maritime community with analytical advice and studies that will help in exploring and setting new horizons for fruitful cooperation in implementing projects aimed at serving the efforts of promoting, developing and organizing the maritime cluster in line with the requirements of sustainable economic growth led by Dubai. The Council will play a pivotal role in discussing challenges and finding innovative solutions, that will enhance regional and international investors' confidence in the local marine environment and promote Dubai on the global maritime map.”

He added, “We are committed to implement the outputs of the scheduled meetings, which include recommendations, ideas and projects that will support our vision to establish a maritime environment capable of responding effectively to market changes, following the emerging directives and attracting regional and international investors to Dubai’s thriving maritime sector.”

The meetings of the second term of the Maritime Advisory Council will be held on a quarterly basis with the participation of strategic partners, pioneers and prominent personalities within the maritime sector and officials from the national, international and multinational maritime companies, which will soon be unveiled.