[ad_1]
The UAE will continue to promote its shipping industry as it recognizes the key role of the maritime industry in keeping trade flowing, a senior UAE official said.
Hessa Al Malek, Adviser to the Minister of Maritime Affairs at the UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, emphasized that seafarers are undoubtedly the backbone of the maritime and shipping sectors.
“Our aim is to increase the number of containers handled across the country to 50 million by 2032, a growth rate of approximately 150%. This is in addition to our ambition to increase the number of UAE-flagged vessels and tankers to 2,000,” Al Malek said while speaking at the 4th annual ‘Security at Sea’ conference in Dubai.
Held under the sponsorship of the UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure and Samsung Group Maritime Logistics, the conference was attended by industry stakeholders, experts and executives from the maritime and shipping sectors.
The event highlighted issues related to the physical and mental health of seafarers and discussed pressing issues such as decarbonization, energy efficiency, digitalization and the role of artificial intelligence in driving progress in the industry.
Al Malek said the UAE is leading the way in taking action and launching groundbreaking initiatives.
“At the height of the pandemic, we were the first country in the world to facilitate the safe exchange and safe return of more than 240,000 seafarers to their home countries,” she said.
Referring to recent initiatives like Salmeen, Safe Navigation and Support Our Blue Forces, the consultant said these have improved the quality of life for seafarers and enhanced safety at sea to protect lives.
“It is imperative that we continue to work to ensure a better life for our ‘blues’ who have played and will continue to play an important role in the industry’s success,” Al Malek said.
With over 1,650 kilometers of coastline, the UAE’s strategic location at the crossroads of global shipping routes makes the country a key trade and logistics hub. The annual throughput of the national ports exceeds 21,000 ships, and the annual throughput exceeds 17 million containers.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO), which participated in the event, expressed its belief that Samsung’s continued initiatives will greatly contribute to maritime safety. It commended the efforts of the UAE, which was one of the first countries to classify seafarers as “priority workers” and facilitated the safe exchange of more than 240,000 seafarers who were assisted to return safely to their home countries with medical and Covid-19 19 Vaccines.
In his opening statement, IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim said that IMO will continue to work tirelessly to address challenges related to maritime safety through a multi-pronged approach, including policy development, direct intervention by our Seafarers Crisis Action Team (SCAT), and inter-agency and industry partnerships.
“We will continue to work with governments, industry stakeholders and other international organizations to enhance maritime safety and security,” Lim said.
Samsung Group founder and CEO Eugene Mayne addressed the assembly and seafarers and said the past three years had changed everything.
“The world has been paying attention to the many challenges you face, pandemic-related and otherwise. When the United Nations names you a ‘key worker’, it helps open many doors: recognition, safe repatriation, faster crew changes and travel assistance,” he said.
“The support and solidarity of the IMO, the ILO and many other authorities and their new agreement will open more doors for you,” he said.
Shipping today carries more than 80% of global trade, providing a reliable, low-cost way to move goods around the globe, facilitating trade and promoting prosperity among nations and peoples. According to the International Maritime Organization, the Covid-19 pandemic and other difficulties facing the global shipping industry have created enormous hardship for seafarers.
“With the cooperation and engagement of states, shipowners, governments and authorities, now is a great time to restart at sea. Today is the time for us to look beyond borders and borders, and our competitors, as we strive to achieve a greater good for all seafarers common good,” Mayne said.
Source: Khaleej Times
[ad_2]
Source link