'Maritime Places of Refuge and Salvage' Forum Organized by Dubai Maritime City Authority

Dubai Maritime City Authority (DMCA), the government authority charged with regulating, coordinating and supervising all aspects of the maritime sector in Dubai, organized a forum titled “Maritime Places of Refuge” that serves as one of the networking activities during the first-ever Dubai Maritime Week 2012 at the Dubai Customs headquarters. The full-day forum includes a series of discussions and presentations by key personalities in the maritime sector.

The forum is highlighting the lessons learned from various high-profile maritime disasters globally and creates a unified and more effective approach in dealing with such incidents. DMCA had underlined the urgency to organize the Maritime Places of Refuge and Salvage Forum as well as similar initiatives to enhance maritime safety, security and environmental compliance.

Khalid Meftah, Director of Maritime Corporate Development at Dubai Maritime City Authority, highlighted the importance of this forum in creating a dialogue among maritime stakeholders to develop a holistic approach in preventing and managing maritime disasters. He pointed out that this initiative was in line with the continuing efforts of Dubai Maritime City Authority to promote the sustainable growth and development of the maritime industry.

The topics that are being discussed at the forum include provisions for place of refuge and casualty preparation, port disaster recovery, maximizing response efforts, and risk mitigation strategy. The forum also includes a brief on marine events of the last 10 years and a discussion on the Places of Refuge concept from a salvor’s perspective.