New Law for Maritime Sector in Dubai

New Law will Bring Higher Levels of Quality and Excellence to the Maritime Sector in Dubai His Excellence Ahmed Butti, Executive Chairman of Dubai Maritime City Authority (DMCA): - “New law will help establish a “vibrant and safe maritime environment in Dubai” - General Manage of DMCA: “authority team preparing all necessary steps and implementation mechanisms for the new law.” Dubai, United Arab Emirates H.E. Ahmed Butti, Executive Chairman of Ports, Customs, and Free Zone Corporation, Executive Chairman of Dubai Maritime City Authority, confirmed today that the issuance of the Law No. 11 of 2010 regulating marine transport in the Emirate of Dubai, and outlining the scope and jurisdiction of the Dubai Maritime City Authority (DMCA), represent a major step forward in supporting Dubai’s maritime sector, and the creation of a platform for higher levels of excellence and quality in Dubai maritime industry in general. H.E. Ahmed Butti emphasized in his statement that the new decree comes as a realization of the wise vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai, in supporting the economic growth of Dubai, and addressing the growing needs of the maritime sector. This decree will help provide compliance with international environmental and maritime standards (locally, regionally, and internationally), and will help create a safe and secure operation for all marine craft activities in all of Dubai waterways, regional and local. The tasks, responsibilities, and jurisdiction of DMCA will help it create a “safe and vibrant maritime environment in Dubai” and leading positive change in the emirate by the introduction and support of maritime rules and regulations. All this will create a best-practice maritime environment in Dubai that will eventually bring higher customer satisfaction, enhanced cooperation with all government and non government parties involved in the maritime industry, and generate a lot of investment opportunities with high yield in the maritime sector. H.E. Ahmed Butti said on this occasion DMCA, represented by all its staff and teams, express great gratitude and appreciation to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid, for the trust he bestowed on the maritime authority, and all pledge to do their best in achieving the DMCA goals, and supporting and serving the excellence model of Dubai, and its people and visitors alike. H.E. Ahmed Butti clarified that the DMCA administration, led by Amer Ali, the Director General of DMCA, will embark on setting all the strategies and operational mechanisms for the new law, and they will do this in the highest levels of professionalism and in full compliance with the international maritime standards – so that the end product will live up to Dubai’s reputation of excellence, and will help enhance its position as a leading global maritime destination. Amer Ali, the Director General of DMCA said that the new law has vested 14 powers in the authority handling issues such as inspecting; licensing and registering marine transport vehicles to make sure that technology, pilots and crew operating on such vessels meet and comply with standards and regulations in place. The wide-ranging legislation seeks to provide comprehensive oversight concerning marine activities through providing a set of clearly defined rules and guidelines to be enforced by appropriate authorities. Amer Ali added that this law will help Dubai streamline maritime sector related revenues, and centralize and unify the administration and management of this very important sector of the economy. Realizing the important role human resources play in sustaining the maritime sector, DMCA established the Emirates International Maritime Academy (EIMA)– a strategic initiative that supports the regional and international maritime industry through the development of qualified maritime expertise that meets growing needs of the sector. EIMA’s focus is to develop and improve the skills of future generations by enabling them to work onboard ships as officers and/or engineers. The academy also aims at providing various maritime courses that increases the efficiency of workers in ports and dry docks. H.E. Ahmed Butti said that by following the international standards set by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), EIMA will further enhance the UAE’s image as the regional capital of maritime excellence. The academy is dedicated to cooperating with the world’s leading maritime universities and academic institutions to further strengthen the region’s offering within maritime education. Jobs in the maritime sector in Dubai increased by 15% in 2008, to 48300; while the overall maritime sector contributed with more than 9.9 Billion AED to the Dubai GDP in 2007. About Dubai Maritime City Authority: The Dubai Maritime City Authority was established in July 2007 by a decree from His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, the UAE Vice president, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai, as a major step in the direction of establishing a world-class maritime legislative and regulatory body in Dubai. The Maritime City Authority will gradually and steadily play a major and a leadership role in regulating and addressing all maritime related activities, challenges and business needs, for both the local and the global maritime audiences alike. The law tasks DMCA to enhance Dubai's position in the maritime industry, and to oversee the development of specific maritime sectors such as maritime services, maritime management, vessel and yacht registration, vessel and yacht ownership and charter, maritime and educational research, vessel and yacht design and building, maritime shipment organization, maritime exhibition, conferences, training and workshops; maritime tourism and maritime specialized arbitration.