Dubai Maritime City Authority (DMCA) recently held the a workshop to reinforce its coordination with government, academicians, private sectors and research and development (R&D) institutions in Dubai, UAE.

The “Dubai Maritime Innovation Quattro Helix Partnerships” workshop was in line with Dubai Plan 2021 to make the country a leading hub in the global economy and in support of the Dubai Industry Strategy, which aims to build a leading and pioneering maritime cluster, to help diversify the economy, and meet the needs of the future, said a statement.

Amer Ali, executive director of DMCA, said: “The adoption of the ‘Dubai Maritime Innovation Quattro Helix Partnerships’ model is intended to strengthen our collaboration with several organisations.”

“This is a significant move meant to promote R&D and innovation in building integrated logistics programmes, preparing suitable infrastructure, and developing an advanced maritime regulations and legislations that will ensure efficient management of maritime operations according to the highest standards of occupational safety, best practices, and local and international conventions. All these efforts will enhance Dubai’s position as a world-class maritime centre,” he said.

Ali pointed out that DMCA is fully committed to the directives of the wise leadership to establish the foundation for a vital and sustainable economy based on research, development and knowledge; build a unique investment environment in Dubai by adopting the best practices and latest concepts that promote the maritime sector; and activate the maritime community’s role in diversifying the economy towards a post-oil future.

This partnership is seen to pave the way for a new phase of excellence in the development and regulation of the maritime sector according to Dubai Maritime Sector Strategy (MSS) to enhance regional and global investors’ confidence in the local maritime cluster’s competitive strengths, which has become a strong competitor for the leading international maritime centres like Singapore, London (UK), Oslo (Norway), Shanghai (China), and Hong Kong (China).

The DMCA-led workshop was held to give maritime industry leaders and academic institutions a platform to develop a framework and a comprehensive plan to support R&D, innovation, maritime education and training programmes.

The forum’s objectives were to help enhance the competitiveness of the maritime sector and promote Dubai as an important player on the global maritime map. The discussions also included the development of a clear vision on how to enhance collaboration among maritime stakeholders to discuss and identify solutions to challenges in maritime education, training, and innovation.

Ali added: “As an important strategic platform, the workshop sought to reinforce the fruitful cooperation among government, academic, research, and maritime entities to find innovative solutions to the current and emerging challenges and strengthen Dubai's leadership as one of the top 10 global pioneers in terms of competitiveness and attractiveness across components of the maritime cluster.”

“We look forward with confidence to a successful Quattro partnership, which sets a clear and solid framework to upgrade maritime and logistics services; update legislations, regulations, and infrastructure; and improving operational processes in accordance with the highest standards of excellence, quality, innovation and maritime safety,” he said.

“We also look forward to implementing the ambitious programmes and initiatives aimed at investing in R&D, training, and maritime innovation in line with the objectives of MSS to transform Dubai into one of the world's most competitive maritime centres and among the globe’s most sustainable cities with steady economic growth according to Dubai Plan 2021,” he concluded. – TradeArabia News Service