October 16, 2016. Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Preparations are underway for the launch of Dubai Maritime Summit 2016 this coming November 2 under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council. To be held under the umbrella of the Dubai Maritime City Authority (DMCA), the summit is a quality initiative that discusses the present and future of the global maritime navigation industry. It facilitates the creation of new ideas for advancing the development of the global maritime sector with a particular focus on encouraging innovation in maritime technology, enhancing maritime arbitration, and investing in human resources of the sector. 

The summit will be the center of discussions during the latest edition of Dubai Maritime Week, the region’s prominent maritime event scheduled for October 30 to November 3, 2016. The best international practices and innovative solutions will be touched on with the aim of enhancing the competitive advantages of the global maritime clustering.

An elite assembly of global maritime industry leaders, decision makers, policy makers, senior government officials, and regional and international maritime pioneers have confirmed their participation at Dubai Maritime Summit 2016. The group includes 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; H.E. Sultan Bin Sulayam, Chairman of Dubai Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation (PCFC) and the Chairman of DMCA; and H.E. Admiral Mohab Mamish, Chairman, Suez Canal Authority. 

The Dubai Maritime Summit’s distinguished agenda includes several in-depth discussions that will be held on the sidelines of the opening session and moderated by renowned international economic expert and journalist Todd Benjamin. There will be five interactive sessions on ‘The State of the Global Industry,’ ‘The Global Shipping Markets,’ ‘Launch of the Emirates Maritime Arbitration Centre (EMAC),’ ‘Innovation in Shipping Technology’ and ‘Maritime Regulation.’ Industry pioneers will discuss ‘The State of the Global Industry’ during the first session with a focus on three main points: ‘The New Suez Canal,’ ‘China’s One Belt One Road strategy and what it means for the region,’ ‘Maritime and Trade Links with Europe.’ 

H.E. Admiral Mohab Mamish, Chairman, Suez Canal Authority; Khalid Hashim, Managing Director, Precious Shipping PCL; Stephan Piworus, SVP Sales Ports & Terminals, Identec Solutions; and Board Member of MCN (Maritime Cluster Northern Germany) and DEMAKO (German Association of Maritime Communication) will attend the discussions.  

The second session will revolve around an assessment of the global maritime shipping markets to be done by international speakers who will highlight key prospects in the crude oil and product tanker markets, dry bulk, container and offshore markets. Among the experts, government officials, and local and regional ship owners participating are Ahmed Al Falahi, Chief Executive Officer of Gulf Energy Maritime Company; Abdulkareem Al Masabi, EVP - 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 ‘Launch of the Emirates Maritime Arbitration Centre (EMAC)’ will serve as an important platform for discussing progress in the maritime arbitration field as led by Dubai and at the regional and international levels. Among the distinguished speakers are Majid Obaid Bin Bashir, Vice Chairman of EMAC; Mark Beer OBE, Chief Executive and Registrar of Dubai International Financial Centre Courts; Richard Briggs, Executive Partner at Hadef and Partners; Capt. Jitendra Misra, Managing Director, Emarat Maritime LLC; and Edward Newitt, Partner, Holman Fenwick Willan.

The impact of innovative technologies on the maritime sector will be the topic of the fourth session. Among the international personalities sharing their insights on the subject are Ali Shehab Ahmed, Deputy Chief Executive of Kuwait Oil Tanker Company; Captain Gamal Fekry, CEO of Red Sea Marine Management DMCC; Oskar Levander, Vice President of the Innovation Department at Rolls Royce; and Ronald Spithout, President of Inmarsat Maritime.

The fifth and final session will delve on maritime legislation and will be participated in by 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;.  The participants will talk about progress on a well-developed legislative structure that can best complement the rapid growth being witnessed by the maritime sector locally and internationally.

Amer Ali, CEO of the Dubai Maritime City Authority, explained that the high-level participation in the Dubai Maritime Summit 2016 sessions reflects the high confidence of the international Maritime Community in the Emirate of Dubai as a first-class and leading maritime center and a perfect destination for hosting major events that affect the current realities and future of the global maritime Sector.

Ali said: “We are honored to host a group of prominent international personalities in the maritime sector to our leading forum, which will have a central role in restructuring the global maritime navigation markets. We look forward to exciting and productive discussions on technological innovation and the opening up of new horizons for improving the growth of the maritime sector especially through maritime arbitration and legislations in order to keep pace with rapid 21st Century developments.” 

“The upcoming summit will provide solid foundations for strengthening communications among decision makers, experts, ship owners and other maritime navigation stakeholders. It will set a clear roadmap for enhancing maritime innovation, developing arbitration mechanisms, and further modernizing legislative structure in order to boost the contributions of maritime navigation as a vital component of the maritime industry in particular and the global economy in general. At the Dubai Maritime City Authority we look forward to facilitating the transfer of knowledge and experiences between the world’s maritime leaders. This is in line with our continuous commitment to supporting national goals for establishing a maritime economy characterized by innovation, sustainability and competency, as well as sustaining the leadership of Dubai as an international center for maritime excellence and innovation,” concluded Ali.

Dubai Maritime Summit 2016 will mark the launching of the first edition of the Dubai Maritime Innovation Award. The award will honor innovative initiatives that have had valuable contributions towards advancing the growth, development, and renaissance of the local maritime sector. Aside from the Dubai Maritime Summit, Maritime Dubai Week will also feature a series of leading events, first and foremost of which is the UAE Maritime Leaders Seminar, the hosting of ‘Seatrade Maritime Middle East’ and a ‘DMCA partners appreciation gathering’; and other relevant seminars and workshops.