Top experts, specialists and academics will discuss critical maritime education, training methods and technological advancements at the International Maritime Academic Conference and Expo, Maracad 2016, to be held next month, in Dubai, UAE.

The event will be held on September 20, at the Dubai World Trade Centre under the patronage of Dr Abdullah bin Mohammed Belhaif Al-Nuaimi, Minister of Public Works and chairman of the Federal Transport Authority - Land and Maritime.

The events will create an opportunity for international and regional government and semi government organisations and institutions, to meet with maritime experts and academics though its conference and associated exhibition allowing all visitors and delegated to be updated with the latest that technology has to offer, said a statement.

The upcoming maritime event, which is organised by Cham Events, will raise many topics during its sessions, it said.

Marine engineer Ali Shehab, deputy chief executive of fleet operations, Kuwait Oil Tanker Company (KOTC) – a Maracad 2016 Gold Sponsor- emphasised on the need to attract talented youth and to encourage them to work in the maritime sector whether it was shipboard operations, shipbuilding, repair yards or other services, it added.

Shehab said: “As a leading international company in maritime transport, KOTC is very much focused on its human element investment strategy.”

Dr Mustafa Massad, president of the Jordan Academy for Maritime Studies, also a Maracad 2016 Gold Sponsor, stated that the importance of this event emerges from the fact that it is the only maritime academic gathering in the Arab world, and one of the few maritime academic events in the world, since the Arab world lacks such establishment.

He said: “We hope that this will lead to the founding of Arab union for maritime institute that will work on unified policies for maritime education and training in the region which are compliant with ever-changing international maritime requirements and meet the needs of ships, ports and technology.”


Dr Massad also highlighted the effectiveness of simulators in education and training in addition to conventional methods, therefore there is a growing need for simulator trainers.  

He added: "As for e-learning, despite its importance and uptake in other areas of education, and in spite of maritime academic institutions and shipping companies’ attempts to take advantage of technology in the field of communications, its spread might be limited in the specific area of maritime.”

“It might be early to use e-learning, especially as it requires international and national legislations to coincide for the maritime industry in order to realise its full potential,” he concluded. – TradeArabia News Service