Dubai Maritime City Authority (DMCA), the government authority charged with regulating, co-ordinating and supervising all aspects of Dubai maritime sector, has allocated marine public transport navigation routes along the city's coastline in collaboration with Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).

The marine transit means comprising abras, Dubai Ferry, water buses and water taxis together ferried about 13 million passengers last year, said a statement from DMCA.

The initiative is part of the joint commitment from DMCA and RTA to regulate the marine public transport sector which continues to see a high rate of usage across different social segments, it added.

The DMCA move is in line with Dubai’s Maritime Sector Strategy (MSS) and the ongoing efforts to regulate marine traffic flow in response to the fast-emerging developments, said a senior official.

“Allocating marine navigation routes complements Dubai’s Maritime Sector Strategy aimed at developing, organizing and promoting the industry to position the emirate as a first-class international maritime hub. Our cooperation with the RTA is particularly crucial in allocating the marine public transport navigation routes, which will facilitate maritime activities and help promote maritime services in Dubai,” remarked executive director Amer Ali.

“Our partnership with RTA is based on a common vision to streamline marine traffic flow and maintain the highest standards of maritime safety and integration among the different means of marine public transport in Dubai,” added Ali.

RTA Public Transport Agency CEO Dr Yousef Al Ali said marine public transport was increasingly being used by residents, nationals and tourists, as it offers high levels of flexibility, convenience and cost efficiency, and especially since it passes near major residential and tourist areas, hotels, spas and maritime sports clubs along Dubai’s coastline.

Accordingly, the new initiative significantly contributes to promoting maritime security and safety while regulating marine traffic flow, Al Ali stated.

This comes in line with the common goals of RTA and DMCA to create a secure and modern maritime industry that is able to drive economic development, he added.

Executive director (Operations) Ali Al Dabbous said DMCA remained steadfast in its commitment to co-operate with industry-related government and non-government entities.

"We will continue to launch awareness campaign, initiative and strategies to boost competitiveness in the maritime sector and therefore achieve sustainable growth while underlining Dubai’s pivotal role in the regional and international maritime industry,” he added.-TradeArabia News Service