International shipping delegates visit Dubai Maritime City site
Shipping industry experts and delegates from around the globe recently visited the project site of Dubai Maritime City, the largest and the most comprehensive maritime complex in the world.
The delegates were in Dubai to attend the 3rd Annual Marine Money Gulf Ship Finance Forum on February 14. The conference, organised by Marine Money International – the world’s leading provider of maritime news, data and analysis, brought together nearly 160 speakers and delegates from around the globe.
During the site visit, the delegates were provided insights into unique features of the iconic development as well as the progress made in the construction of industrial infrastructure works and related support structures. The visitors, which included experts from leading shipping companies worldwide as well as representatives of Marine Money International, expressed their admiration at the vision and magnitude of the development.
Talking about the visit, Mr. Ali Al-Falasi, Communication Coordinator of Dubai Maritime City, said: ‘It was a matter of great privilege to have shipping industry experts and delegates visiting our development, which is set to provide a major impetus to the global maritime trade besides comprehensively redefining the maritime community in Dubai. We arranged this visit as it gave us an unprecedented opportunity to leverage our unique project on the international maritime map.’
He added: ‘The visit was not only aimed at enhancing the awareness about the project but is also expected to update the trade on the progress achieved. The project is part of our ongoing commitment to the maritime industry and we are thankful to the Marine Money Gulf and the delegates for accepting our invitation.’
Praising the development, Matthew Flynn, Managing Director, Worldyards.com Pte Ltd, said: ‘During the visit, I witnessed how the Gulf has enthusiastically embraced shipping. While many cities have aspirations about becoming maritime hubs, Dubai’s ambitious vision will rapidly become reality, thanks to a determination to assemble the first and finest purpose-built maritime city that the world has ever seen. The Middle East needs a maritime cluster and this is clearly a case of build and they will come…. in vast fleets.’
In his comments, Kevin Oates, Director, Marine Money Greece, said: ‘We at Marine Money champion any initiative that brings the maritime industry forward in this ever challenging world. It was a great experience to preview the construction of the world’s largest maritime complex. With its special emphasis on the quality of life through planned facilities and other amenities measuring up to the demands of the maritime community, it was a privilege to get valuable insights into the development and the progress achieved. With its state-of-the-art facilities, we are confident that the Dubai Maritime City will soon be a major hub for the global maritime industry, offering one-stop-shop services and catering to all industry requirements. We can envisage representations from the global maritime industry – shipowning, management , finance and services – coming together in this custom built complex.’
Mohammed Al-Otaibi, Vice-President (Finance) at National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia, said: ‘I am amazed at the scale of the Dubai Maritime City development. With its iconic status, DMC is destined to become a landmark destination for the global maritime community. The City is set to offer world-class services and facilities and embodies the vision of Dubai’s meteoric rise. I also wish to thank DMC for their warm hospitality.’
The 3rd Annual Marine Money Gulf Ship Finance Forum, which also included 20 local, foreign banks as well as financial institutions, shed light on the growth and development of the shipping sector in the region as also the alternative finance available to the industry.
As the premier provider of ship finance news, data and analysis, Marine Money hosts the industry’s most important ship finance forums and seminars throughout the world. Relied upon by shipowners, financiers, investors, ship managers, brokers, lawyers and accountants for the past 20 years, Marine Money International has bridged the gap between shipowners and the international capital markets.
