Dubai Maritime City Authority (DMCA) said it will further improve the organisational processes and operational procedures relating to the anchorage of maritime crafts across Dubai waters.

DMCA is the government authority charged with regulating Dubai’s maritime sector.

Dubai is witnessing a big turnout of maritime crafts ranging from business and tourism, to sports and entertainment, due to its strategic position as a global business and tourism hub, said a statement from DMCA.

The continuous follow-up of these procedures come in response to the resolution recently issued by the authority to compel anchored marine crafts to conform to the highest maritime safety standards during anchorage time in the diving areas, as well as compliance with federal and local legislation and international treaties of the International Maritime Organization about maritime safety, it said.

The implementation of these regulations are among DMCA’s strategic priorities, which demonstrates the efforts to ensure that anchored maritime crafts within the territorial waters of Dubai comply with the requirements of local and international laws and regulations in the field of maritime safety and operational efficiency.

It will help create an integrated, safe and sustainable maritime environment that will make the emirate one of the most important maritime capitals of the world by 2020, it added.

DMCA pointed out that it obliges maritime crafts that have been anchored for long or short periods of time to apply for a special permit to dock or make any of the offshore operations within the local and regional waters before reaching the local territorial waters of Dubai.

The maritime authority grants formal approval for maritime crafts in the event of matched technical and operational conditions within the requirements of the approved anchoring in Dubai, it added.

Captain Khamis Weld Gmeel, senior manager of marine traffic operations, DMCA, said: “We continue to organise anchoring operations as part of our commitment to integrate aspects of maritime safety, safe navigation and operational efficiency along the coastline.”

“This is one of the main pillars set towards enhancing the regional and international ship owners and investors’ confidence and to improve the competitiveness of the maritime cluster, which flows into the maritime sector strategy objectives - particularly in the development of services and organising and promoting the maritime sector aimed at reinforcing Dubai’s status as one of the most competitive maritime capitals in the world,” he added.-TradeArabia News Service