July 28, 2018. Dubai, UAE: The Dubai Maritime City Authority (DMCA) has announced that it will participate in the 2018 edition of the Shipbuilding, Machinery and Marine Technology (SMM) Hamburg Exhibition in Germany alongside the Dubai Chamber in September. The largest technology and marine equipment exhibition will be held from September 4 to 7, 2018, in Hamburg, a major port city in northern Germany. The world’s number one trade fair for the maritime industry will provide DMCA with a global platform to showcase Dubai’s leadership and standards of excellence as one of the world’s most competitive maritime hubs, which was recently reflected by its entry into the world's top five in the International Shipping Centre Development Index (ISCD), making it the first Arab city to achieve this position in the maritime sector. In addition, DMCA will promote the UAE as a first-class maritime destination during its participation.

The exhibition is an important platform for DMCA to showcase the most ambitious initiatives that have been instrumental in establishing Dubai as a strong competitor to leading maritime clusters such as Singapore, Hamburg, Oslo, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Copenhagen, Athens, London and others. During the exhibition, DMCA will highlight its major initiatives designed to encourage innovation and harness the power of technologies within the local maritime industry to help transform the emirate into a smart city, based on Dubai Plan 2021. Additionally, it will showcase the benefits and features of its Innovation Quay, the Sea Dubai, the Maritime Dubai, and the Dubai Maritime Virtual Cluster (DMVC) initiatives.

The innovative DMVC, in particular, has a strong focus on innovation, development and training, providing a solid foundation for advancing the smart transformation and enhancing the competitiveness and attractiveness of the maritime community’s components by providing an integrated framework to enhance the regional and global maritime communities’ involvement in local maritime community activities immediately and effectively. In addition, it enhances international maritime practices and facilitates access for maritime industry leaders to world-class maritime services in Dubai, which in turn enhances the confidence of regional and international investors and activates maritime sector’s contribution to the growth and diversification of the national economy.

H.E. Hisham Abdullah Al Shirawi, the Dubai Chamber’s 2nd Vice Chairman, said: “Our presence in this important forum certainly reflects the global reputation of Dubai as an international center for maritime transport and shipping, especially with the emirate's strategic location that links it to the international maritime routes and its experience gained over the past years. Our presence in this exhibition is aimed at benefiting from the expertise and knowledge in this vital sector, with the participation of the elite of the international shipping industry, reviewing Dubai's competitive advantages, attracting more international attention to Dubai and further establishing the Emirate as a base for expansion and shipping to different countries of the world.

Al-Shirawi emphasized the Chamber’s keenness to identify emerging trends and technologies in the field of maritime and shipping industries in order to share this knowledge with the private sector in Dubai. He also emphasized the full cooperation with DMCA to make the best use of this exhibition and to enhance Dubai's competitiveness and reputation as the foremost business destination in Dubai, and to establish the emirate as a base for expansion and shipping to other global destinations.

Amer Ali, Executive Director of DMCA, said: “The participation in SMM 2018 reflects our continuous efforts to enhance Dubai’s and the UAE’s positions within the international maritime landscape. The move comes at a strategical time coupled with the prestigious achievement accomplished by the emirate by entering the category of top five shipping centers in the world, with continued support from the leadership and support of distinguished services, advanced infrastructure, global maritime and logistics capabilities, innovative free zones, competitive environment and trade Business and investment.

Ali added: 'We are proud to have partnered with the Dubai Chamber as part of the national delegation representing the UAE at the leading international exhibition in order to highlight the features of Dubai's drive to become the most competitive maritime centers in the world. We will renew our commitment to consolidate the direct communications to explore new investment horizons, access to the latest maritime innovations and emerging trends, as well as introduce innovative initiatives, which are the cornerstones for building a secure, integrated and sustainable maritime sector that will drive the UAE’s ambitious economic diversification process.'

Dubai has recently been named as one of the top five in the International Shipping Centre Development Index (ISCD), to become the first Arab city to achieve this top international recognition in the maritime sector, according to a recent report by Baltic Exchange, and Xinhua News Agency, a subsidiary of the China Economic Information Service (CEIS) based in London.