The Dubai Maritime City Authority (DMCA) said it is continuously monitoring regulatory compliance across different maritime operations as part of its extensive efforts to improve all aspects such as maritime safety, secure navigation and operational efficiency along Dubai’s coastline.

It is aimed at best serving the objectives of the ‘Dubai Maritime Sector Strategy’ in establishing a secure, sustainable and integrated maritime sector, said a statement from DMCA.

The Authority is supervising improvements to regulatory and operational procedures involving anchoring places around Dubai which have been experiencing high demand from commercial, touristic, sports, and leisure marine crafts.

It ensures strict adherence to a resolution that requires berthing marine crafts to meet the highest levels of maritime safety within the anchorage area and observe local and federal legislations as well as international conventions issued by the International Maritime Organization and International Labor Organization.

Amer Ali, the executive director at the DMCA, said the ongoing monitoring of maritime operations within Dubai’s territorial waters aims to maintain the continuous upgrading of maritime safety, which is a major component in promoting competitiveness within the industry.

He also noted that constant co-operation and co-ordination with all stakeholders in Dubai play an important role in the evolution and integration of the safety measures being undertaken to guarantee efficient operations of all marine crafts in Dubai’s waters.

According to him, the DMCA is always committed to improve maritime safety within Dubai’s territorial waters consistent with our ambition of taking the domestic maritime cluster to a new level of growth, competitiveness and excellence.

"This commitment is aligned with the goals embodied in the Maritime Sector Strategy which aims to develop a secure, sustainable, inclusive, modern, and proficient maritime sector supportive of the economic diversification process. These efforts aim to lead us towards a post-oil economy that will empower the next generation and enjoy a more secure and prosperous future," he added.

The DMCA said it was working alongside other stakeholders including free zones, private development zones, owners, as well as operators of maritime projects in Dubai’s territorial waters, providing them with the necessary aids to navigation.

Captain Khamis Weld Ghumail, the director of Maritime Traffic Management, DMCA, said: "We always make it a strategic priority to regulate the operations and activities of local anchorage and marine crafts to ensure the Dubai maritime sector’s compliance with local and international requirements and legislations."

"We steadfastly check both anchoring and passing marine crafts through regular patrolling to make sure they follow the highest maritime safety standards," noted Ghumail.

"Furthermore, we are also committed to provide all kinds of technical and logistic support to owners and operators of marine crafts in keeping with our endeavors to build a strong foundation that would create a secure and modernized marine environment, with the end goal of fostering Dubai’s leadership as one of the most important and leading maritime destinations in the world," he added.-TradeArabia News Service