Dr Abdulla Belhaif Al Nuaimi, Minister of Infrastructure Development and chairman of the FTA - Land and Maritime, has revealed the UAE's readiness for the coming election of new members for the Council of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

The minister expressed his confidence in the vital and effective role that the country can play once it becomes a Category B member of the IMO Council, said a statement.

Al Nuaimi's statement was made at the final coordination meeting of the UAE delegation held today (November 21), it said.

During the meeting, attendees affirmed the importance of being elected into Category B membership, which represents a strong push towards establishing the UAE's leading position in the global maritime map and reinforcing its role as a major contributor to the development of the maritime industry, it added.

Al Nuaimi said: “There is no doubt that competition under the category B will be very strong, especially with many leading maritime countries vying for the Council membership of the IMO.”

“Moreover, the UAE is well prepared for the IMO’s upcoming meeting in London—the official UAE delegation have already discussed and prepared an integrated file that reflects the country’s leadership within the global maritime sector,” he said.

Al Nuaimi continued: “To date, the UAE is home to 20 of the world's most important ports in terms of advanced infrastructure in the field of maritime transport.”

“We are highly confident that the UAE will be an excellent and performing member of the council as it has world-class maritime capabilities and an international reputation in the field of international maritime trade—having been ranked as the first regionally and among the Arab World and third globally in the field of the best port infrastructure and the sixth globally in marine ports structure as per the competitiveness index of 2014-2015,” he added.

“In line with its keenness to continuously improve the maritime system, the UAE is working constantly to be at pace with everything new and innovative in the maritime industry, especially with regards to the automation of marine stations, eco-friendly ports and maritime e-commerce, in addition to the adoption and application of best international practices to transform local ports into logistics centres to be ready for the next generation of self-propelled vessels and the use of satellites to manage fleets and develop the maritime system,” he said.

“There is no doubt that winning the membership will be an important step forward in the expansion of the local maritime sector, which has witnessed great growth in terms of ports, operations, maintenance and construction of ships and dry basins, as well as financing and insurance in accordance with international maritime standards related to protecting the marine environment and improving marine security,” Al Nuaimi concluded.

The final coordination meeting covered the review and presentation of the UAE submission file for IMO membership and the approval of the visit program to London where the elections and council sessions will be held from November 27 to December 1, it said.

The meeting also discussed the creation of an accompanying delegation and the preparation of a specific format to unify views during IMO’s upcoming meeting, as well as creating a post-election plan for the event, it added. – TradeArabia News Service