Dubai Maritime City Authority (DMCA) has launched a new initiative in connection with licensing of marine training centres.

This latest development aims to improve policies dealing with licensing and staff training centres as well as develop an integrated and flexible marine training curriculum to ensure maritime and navigational safety and operational efficiency along the local coast.

The resolution is aligned with the initiatives to provide a unified and integrated framework to create a safe and sustainable maritime environment in Dubai, thereby reinforcing the emirate’s leading position on the global marine map.

Amer Ali, the executive director of DMCA, said: "The initiative is part of our efforts to reinforce maritime training, which is one of the key pillars in achieving our vision to transform Dubai into a global marine hub. The new terms and procedures ensure compliance with the best international training practices and highest standards of maritime safety."

"Thus, the new intiative is expected to positively impact the operational efficiency of trade, tourism, sports, entertainment, and traditional maritime crafts. This recent move is one of the series of executive decisions aiming at strengthening the competitiveness of the local maritime sector in the regional and international levels," he added.
 
The new resolution contains a set of conditions under which the licenses of marine training centers are issued. Particularly, it covers placing clear informative signboards written both in Arabic and English and setting up of training rooms that are equipped with advanced communication tools and visual display devices, modern navigational maps, personal safety tools, first aid, and firefighting equipment.

As for the training curricula, the initiative states that the curriculum must be capable of meeting the needs of any individual or institution, and that it must be able to cope with the rapid changes locally, regionally, and internationally.

Ali Al Dabbous, the executive director (Operations) DMCA, said: “In accordance with the new guidelines, training boats must be equipped with personal safety tools, survival equipment, first aid box, navigational charts, tide tables for the UAE and the Gulf, marine radar, radar reflector, magnetic compass, GPS, echo sounder, training maritime signal flags, detectors, fire detection apparatus, as well as towing and training tools and ropes.”