October 17, 2017.  Dubai, UAE: H.E Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Chairman of Dubai’s Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation and Chairman of the Dubai Maritime City Authority (DMCA), called on all bodies and entities concerned with the UAE’s maritime sector to strengthen cooperation in supporting the country’s candidacy for Category B membership under the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Council. He emphasized the importance of a successful bid and the role of the UAE as a key player in the international maritime sector. He explained that the membership plays an active role in the development and improvement of the mechanisms of international trade, international maritime transport and maritime shipping. He added that members of the Council make valuable contributions to the development of legislations and regulations governing the work of IMO and its role at the global maritime level.

H.E. Bin Sulayem pointed out that membership under the IMO Executive Council will positively impact the UAE’s maritime sector and enhance its competitiveness at the regional and global levels to make the country one of the most important and most developed marine centers in the world. He noted that the UAE upholds high maritime standards and that it occupies the top position at the regional and Arab levels and third in the world in quality of port infrastructure, being home to |20 of the world's most important ports. H.E. Bin Sulayem further stated that the UAE’s strategic geographical location links East to the West and that the country – which has one of the largest shipyards in the world – has a strong track record in the development of international shipping and transport.

H.E. Bin Sulayem said: “The UAE has unique capabilities in terms of maritime infrastructure. It ranks highly in terms of port infrastructure, backed by world-class ports such as Khalifa Port which ranked third in the world in terms of productivity in 2015; Jebel Ali Port, which was ranked the ninth largest container port worldwide; and Fujairah Port, one of the world's top three ports for ship fuel supply. The UAE is among the top 10 in the world in terms of port container traffic as well. Dubai’s maritime sector has become one of the five main contributors to the emirate’s economic diversification policy, with its share of the local GDP currently standing at AED 26.9 billion. It has been growing by over 25 per cent since 2011, helping boost the UAE’s share of the region’s overall maritime activities. The local sector hosts over 5,500 companies and supports at least 13,000 maritime and investment activities, all of which generate 76,000 jobs.”

“The UAE also operates and manages 77 ports worldwide, including those based in the US and Europe. It places sixth worldwide in quality of seaport infrastructure according to the 2016 Global Competitiveness Report of the World Economic Forum. All these advantages reflect the UAE’s great ability to play an important role in the global maritime sector, supported by capabilities that will make it one of the most prominent Category B members of the IMO Executive Council. It is a strong competitor among the countries nominated in this category,” H.E. Bin Sulayem concluded.

The UAE continues to develop its maritime environment to attract the world’s leading maritime players. It provides strong legislative structure and infrastructure for enhancing the components of the local maritime cluster, in line with the significant progress achieved in the fields of shipping, ports, engineering operations and maritime support. The DMCA is committed to achieving its vision of building a safe, revitalized and sustainable maritime sector that contributes to the economic diversification of the UAE.

The Category B election of the IMO Executive Council is scheduled for the organization's 30th General Assembly which will be held from November 24 to December 5, 2017.