October 10, 2017. United Arab Emirates: The Dubai Maritime Cluster Office (DMCO) of the Dubai Maritime City Authority (DMCA) has signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with Germany’s Maritimes Cluster Norddeutschland and Canada’s Vancouver International Maritime Cluster as part of its efforts to develop more strategic partnerships with the world's leading maritime clusters. The signing ceremony was attended by His Excellency (H.E.) Hamad Buamim, Director General of Dubai Chamber, which played an active role in the communication between the Hamburg office and the DMCO.

The signing happened on the sidelines of the Dubai Maritime Agenda 2017, which was held in Dubai today (Tuesday, October 10, 2017) under the patronage of His Highness (H.H.) Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council. These alliances support efforts of Dubai and the entire UAE to position itself as attractive destinations for regional and global shipowners, port operators and maritime investors.

H.E. Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Chairman of the Ports, Customs & Free Zone Corporation in Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Maritime City Authority (DMCA) said: “We confidently look forward to the influence of these new partnerships on the development of an integrated framework and a clear roadmap for promoting investment opportunities available in the maritime clusters of Dubai, Hamburg and Vancouver. It will also enable maritime industry leaders to contribute more to exploring the future of a global maritime sector empowered by innovation and technology as key pillars for developing marine clusters in line with accelerating changes in the global maritime sector.”

The MoUs were signed by Amer Ali, Executive Director of DMCA; Stefan Beueros, General Manager of Maritimes Cluster Norddeutschland; and Keith Stein, Director General of Vancouver International Maritime Cluster during the opening of the activities of Dubai Maritime Agenda 2017. The signatories affirmed the importance of strengthening cooperation in areas advancing their common aspiration of driving the growth of the global maritime sector. They agreed to mutually enrich knowledge and share their successful international experiences and best practices in maritime training, technological innovation and other important areas related to the components of the maritime cluster.

Ali said: “International cooperation represents an advanced step towards attracting new investments with the potential to further increase the contributions of the maritime sector to the GDP of the Emirate of Dubai which currently stands at 7 per cent, equivalent to AED 26.9 billion. It will help create more jobs and drive the economic diversification of Dubai and the UAE on the path to achieving comprehensive and sustainable development.”

The agreements will help boost the confidence of maritime industry leaders and regional and international investors in the local marine environment. They will also facilitate the development of the necessary policies and infrastructure for promoting the components of the local maritime cluster, especially shipping, ports, marine engineering, training and maritime support services – all of which provide solid foundations for raising the contributions of the maritime sector to the UAE’s economy.

Ali explained that the new partnerships are very important as they come at a time when Dubai is taking proactive steps to become one of the world’s leading maritime capitals by 2020. He emphasized that the agreements will advance the DMCA’s promotion of the strengths and competitiveness of the local maritime cluster, which is currently one of the most attractive and comprehensive in the world.

Dubai is fast emerging as an active partner in the development of international maritime clusters. The emirate is backed by pioneering achievements in developing the policies and infrastructure necessary to enhance the components of the local maritime cluster in line with international best practices on operational efficiency, marine safety and environmental protection. The recent MoUs reflect the tremendous potential of the DMCA and its new partners to collaboratively contribute to the growth and sustainability of the global maritime sector.