Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras praised the world-class achievements and competitive edge of UAE’s global maritime feats during his visit to Dubai Maritime City Authority’s (DMCA) pavilion at the ongoing ‘Posidonia 2018’, being held in Athens, Greece.

The five-day event, an international shipping exhibition, which is taking place at the Athens Metropolitan Expo, will conclude tomorrow (June 8).

Senior DMCA officials headed by executive director for operations Ali Al Daboos, and chief officer of Dubai Maritime Cluster Office Nawfal Al Jourani, welcomed Tsipras to the pavilion saying that it reflects the high confidence placed by the international maritime community in Dubai as a leading global maritime centre.

The Emirati officials gave a presentation to the Greek Prime Minister and local maritime leaders the UAE’s competitive maritime cluster fundamentals, which offer promising investment opportunities for Greek and international ship owners as one of the most competitive and sustainable capitals in the world, it said.

In addition, they showcased the UAE’s accomplishments and qualitative initiatives launched to attract international investors and open up new horizons for concerned businesses to benefit from the local economic and investment opportunities.

The Greek Premier said that he recently gained deeper insights into Dubai's pioneering experience in building one of the world’s most competitive, attractive, and comprehensive maritime cluster, and commended the country for being on par with the world's most important maritime and logistics centres.

DMCA said its participation at the event was a continuation of its success in representing the UAE in the most important international maritime forums and in seeking ways to enhance maritime cooperation between the UAE and Greece as a major hub on the maritime trade map.

DMCA focused on creating the optimal environment to promote maritime activities based on modern infrastructure and legislations to meet the 21st century requirements and anticipate future needs, said a statement from the company.

The DMCA officials also gave a detailed explanation to Tsipras about ‘Zayed Humanitarian Day’, which marks the death anniversary of the late founder of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who laid the foundation for making humanitarian work and civilised behaviour a well-established culture and norm in the Arab state, said a statement.

The DMCA officials said that the event is a milestone and an important platform to recall the inspiring heritage and noble values of the UAE’s founding father as evidenced by the country’s continuing humanitarian efforts benefiting people from around the world.

International attendees visited the DMCA’s pavilion to explore the strengths of the local maritime components, particularly shipping, ports, engineering, and maritime support, which are reinforcing Dubai's position as one of the top 2017 maritime capitals in the world, it added.

Amer Ali, executive director of DMCA, said the authority’s presence in ‘Posidonia’ and other similar international maritime forums open up new horizons to build strong ties between the UAE and Greece, both of which are known for their competitive advantages and prestigious global positions.

He praised the role of the strategic event in introducing international maritime community leaders to the qualitative achievements, ambitious strategies, and competitive factors that make the UAE and Dubai the destination of Greek and other international ship owners and operators seeking to capitalise on the region’s promising opportunities.

“The exhibition is an ideal opportunity to showcase our successful experience in the advancement of the maritime sector based on innovation, knowledge, and smart transformation,” he added.-TradeArabia News Service