Dubai Chamber study reviews maritime cooperation between Dubai, Hamburg

A Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry-led trade mission has left today (Sunday) for Hamburg to participate in the 26th edition of the Shipbuilding, Machinery and Marine Technology (SMM 2014 Expo) which is being held in the strategic German city of Hamburg from September 8 to 12. 

The delegation, consisting of over 25 Dubai-based business leaders and company officials from the maritime sector, is led by H.E. Hisham Al Shirawi, 2^nd Vice Chairman, Dubai Chamber, to the important maritime exhibition which attracts more than 2,000 exhibitors and over 50,000 visitors looking forward to keeping ahead of the latest sector innovations and trends. 

Said H.E. Al Shirawi, ‘‘The main purpose behind the trade mission is to help Dubai companies build bridges of cooperation with international maritime business leaders and to help establish contacts in shipbuilding, machinery and marine technology while also to promote Dubai’s maritime industry and its strategic location to a global audience.’’ 

Another important objective of the trade mission is to strengthen Dubai’s image as a key maritime hub and business destination, to support the overseas expansion of UAE companies, and to gain insight into recent trends impacting the marine industries, he said.

The 2^nd Vice Chairman of Dubai Chamber called upon the participants to benefit from this trade mission through networking and establishing partnerships with German companies as they are global leaders in the maritime industry as he also urged the delegates to expand their own business interests as well as promote Dubai’s reputation for adopting latest technological applications of environmentally friendly initiatives in the maritime sector. 

H.E. Al Shirawi expressed optimism about the outcome of the mission which he said will have positive results, joint cooperation agreements, and will bring about a new era of stronger economic relations between Dubai and Hamburg which are both strategic maritime cities. 

The participating companies in the trade mission are Dry Docks World & Maritime World, Mubarak Marine LLC, Jumbo Line Shipping Agency, Tasneef, Emirates Classification Society, DNV GL – Maritime, Aries Group of Companies, The Folk Group, Dubai Trading Agency Group, Elcome International LLC, Nor Crane & Winch DMCCO, Fichte & Co Legal Consultancy, and Hamburg Representative Office in Dubai. 

The exhibition will include five seminars and congresses covering some of the most important key areas in the maritime industry including Ship Finance Forum; Global Maritime Environmental Congress (GMEC); International Conference on Maritime Security & Defence (MS&D); and SMM Offshore Dialogue as well as an open discussion on Hamburg & Dubai – Potentials for Maritime Cooperation. 

The Dubai Chamber national pavilion at the Messe Congress exhibition centre includes a large number of stands for participating UAE companies to showcase their latest innovations, while getting a platform to communicate with decision-makers and stakeholders in the field of maritime navigation. 

Earlier last week, Dubai Chamber organised a pre-mission briefing session at its head office to give the participants an overview of the trade mission, outline its aims and objectives, identify priorities and to highlight the areas of opportunities for joint cooperation with German companies. 

Also, on the occasion of its trade mission to SMM 2014, Dubai Chamber has released a study on opportunities for joint cooperation for Dubai and Hamburg in the maritime sector. 

According to the study, the maritime sector is a major area of cooperation for Dubai and Hamburg as the emirate enjoys a high rate of shipping movement, shipbuilding and repair facilities and expertise in ports management as the study revealed that in 2012, about 20,000 vessels called at Dubai ports, mainly at Jebel Ali Port and Port Rashid. 

The study pointed out that Hamburg is a world leader in shipbuilding and ship suppliers, marine engineering, in particular for the offshore engineering and offshore wind energy industries, state-specific integration of shipping companies, shipping, ports and harbours, education and academia and maritime services. 

Dubai is world renowned in port management and ship repair, and is the region’s leader in maritime activities. However, the educational system and academia of the emirate and of the UAE remain to be lagging behind in terms of technological and manpower support to the maritime industry. In addition to the establishment of strong research support, this is an area that Hamburg expertise would be very much needed. 

The study further informed that the maritime industry is witnessing a growing trend in the UAE due to new projects for the development of Port Rashid and the Dubai Maritime City, the first ever purpose-built maritime cluster in the world, as well as the Hamriya Port which is in the process of modernising and upgrading to deliver significant services of value to both the shipping industry and the fishing community. 

Meanwhile, shipbuilding in the UAE stops short of mega-yachts but built in the UAE are platforms, boats and private luxury yachts. Nevertheless, reports point to the Middle East as home of 31 of the top 100 mega-yachts in the world. 

The study also pointed out that Germany has a well-developed shipbuilding industry, building not only large modern ships but also mega-yachts that are in demand in the region while presently there are several companies in Dubai that are into provision of maritime services and production of parts. 

These are areas that cooperation between Hamburg companies and Dubai companies could develop and strengthen, not only for the domestic maritime industry, but for global operations as well. Other areas of cooperation would be ship efficiency, emissions and safety, offshore wind energy and deep sea engineering as well as the use of green technologies in the maritime sector.