Top regional and international shipping and maritime industry decision makers and stakeholders will network, do business, build relationships, and attend comprehensive conference sessions as part of a maritime event to be held in Dubai, UAE.

The UAE Maritime Week 2018, Seatrade Maritime Middle East (SMME) will be held from October 29 to 31, at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

More than 350 exhibitors from leading international maritime companies and over 8,000 visitors, including renowned local, regional, and global maritime experts and specialists, are estimated to take part in the Seatrade Maritime Middle East and associated events.

The three-day exhibition and conference, the largest event of its kind in the region, will be organised to help build a robust, vibrant, sustainable, and safe UAE maritime community in alignment with the government’s effort to maintain the country’s status as one of the most developed maritime hubs in the region, said a statement.

To be held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, UAE, Seatrade Maritime Middle East will come at a time when the domestic commercial shipping and maritime industry is expected to enter a new phase of development especially as the Arab state has now joined the Category B membership of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Council, it said.

Securing the Category B membership is seen to pave the way for the UAE to reinforce its role in shaping the future of the global maritime system.

Chris Hayman, chairman of Seatrade, said: “2018 is going to be a significant year for the global maritime industry, especially in the Middle East, where investments in the region’s ports and logistics sector and smart innovation technologies are in full swing.”

“These vibrant investment activities are particularly evident in the UAE which, after winning the Category B membership of IMO council, is now on its way towards establishing itself as a multi-dimensional global maritime hub,” he said.

“We fully intend to contribute to this important journey within the platform of this event. This year’s edition of the world-class maritime convention will draw together all the important strands of the complex and innovative maritime community, with ship owners and operators, ports, financiers, and other maritime professionals expected to actively participate in the discussion on how to further drive the industry forward,” he added.

The gathering will bring together numerous C-Suite stakeholders from regional and global buyers, cargo owners, shipowners, and ship managers to meet and network with the world’s leading suppliers covering supply, construction and maintenance of vessels. It will also host seminars, panel discussions, and roundtables, to cite a few, during the three-day event.

This year’s theme revolves around autonomous shipping and automation, fuels of the future, digital and cyber technologies, and environmental challenges within the shipping industry.

Meanwhile, aside from SMME, the UAE Maritime Week will feature other high-profile events such as the UAE Maritime Future Leaders Seminar, which will focus on the major role of innovation in Dubai as a fully integrated global international maritime centre; and the Dubai Maritime Summit, which will help strengthen Dubai’s capacity to host major international maritime events and conferences.

Nawfal Al Jourani, chief officer, Dubai Maritime Cluster Office, said: “The UAE Maritime Week 2018 will bring together multiple stakeholders to collaborate and contribute to the progress of maritime industry and, by extension, their own businesses.”

“As part of the UAE Maritime Week, SMME will contribute immensely to this momentous event by providing the perfect platform to network and promote the participants’ products and services to the widest audience possible,” he said.

“We look forward to another year of successful event designed to serve the needs of the regional and international shipping and maritime communities of the future,” he added. – TradeArabia News Service