The agreement consolidates the partnerships between leading organisations in the UAE and the maritime academic sector, to strengthen the role of scientific research and development in promoting innovation and creativity as well increasing core competencies among government and security staff

The Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport Branch in Sharjah (AASTS) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Dubai Police to cooperate in education, training and research in maritime security. This support AASTS’ ongoing efforts to empower Emiratis and enhance national competencies in the maritime sector as well as work closely with its partners and related bodies in line with its responsibility as an educational house of expertise for the maritime sector.

The agreement was signed by H.E. Dr. Ismail Abdel Ghaffar Ismail Farag, President of the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport, and H.E. Major General Prof. Dr. Mohammed Ahmed bin Fahd, Assistant Commander-in-Chief of Academic and Training Affairs at Dubai Police. Officials from both sides were present. The MoU opens the door for cooperation in employing academic capabilities and resources to develop training in maritime safety and security, as well as enhance communication, coordination, and sharing of knowledge and experiences; leading to joint work in training.

The unique model of Dubai Police

Commenting on the agreement and its importance, H.E. Dr. Ismail Abdel Ghaffar Ismail Farag, President of the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport, said, “Our partnership with Dubai Police is a key milestone in our journey at the Academy to support and enhance maritime vocational training and preparation in institutions concerned with safety and security. Dubai Police goes beyond the role of regular police work; it is an incubator for the best practices of creativity and innovation in security services, and a centre for developing and launching unprecedented initiatives and ideas. Our cooperation with them will be an added value for us. We hope to achieve a success story that we can disseminate to similar organisations in the Arab World and globally.”

Farag added, “This agreement is part of comprehensive preparations at the Academy to enhance our role as a major partner with the UAE in preparing for the next fifty years. The UAE is a leading global maritime hub and its maritime sector is one of the best worldwide in terms of infrastructure, ports and operational resources. Through our branch in Sharjah, we play a role by preparing highly-qualified Emiratis to lead the maritime sector. We hope that our graduates will share the be part of the celebrations of the UAE leadership and people when the last barrel of oil is exported in fifty years.”

H.E. Major General Prof. Dr. Mohammed Ahmed bin Fahd, Assistant Commander-in-Chief of Academic and Training Affairs at Dubai Police, said, “We have learnt from His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, that our success depends on the size of development and innovation we adopt in our security and operational system. That is why, we are keen to partner with all organisations and institutions that help us achieve this goal. The Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport is the best candidate for this role, with its experience of nearly five decades, and its staff who have graduated thousands of professionals who lead the maritime sector in the region today. We believe that our partnership will significantly contribute to developing the maritime security and safety sector, and will achieve our goal of providing our staff with the best knowledge and experience.”

Bin Fahd added, “This agreement comes at a crucial time for us at Dubai Police. The Emirate’s coast is unique compared to other coasts in the region. Our coastline is constantly growing and changing. There is continuous development of real estate projects, waterfronts, and marinas for luxury yachts, ships and boats, Moreover, Dubai’s ports are among the most active, receiving over 21,000 ships and giant tankers annually. This makes the traditional ways of maritime protection and safety inadequate, and forces us to adopt modern technologies such as the Internet of Things, robots, autonomous boats, and artificial intelligence to strengthen our security tools. All of this requires special training and preparation for our people.”

The agreement includes cooperation in many areas including maritime education and training, studies in maritime security, providing training courses in maritime security, in addition to benefiting from the Academy’s capabilities in artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things to build a system of smart and advanced sensors that monitor all indicators necessary to build a comprehensive and accurate picture of the state of the marine environment in Dubai, supporting the development of blue economy and environmental sustainability. This is part of a comprehensive plan to provide specialised research in vital areas such as marine oil pollution, sea water quality, and the preservation of natural marine reserves, within the Sustainable Development Goals.

Dr. Capt. Ahmed Youssef, Associate Dean, College of Maritime Transport and

Technology, AASTS said, “Our mission at AASTS is to empower future Emirati leaders in the maritime sector. Our partnership with Dubai Police is a great support for us in achieving this mission as it includes providing training opportunities to prepare staff to deal with modern technologies. The cooperation also includes developing training to enhance the capacity of Dubai Police in the maritime field, as well as enhance the competitiveness of professionals at Dubai Police.”

Youssef added: “This cooperation will also reflect positively on our students who will have the opportunity to train and deal with security and maritime safety experts in Dubai Police, to learn from them and acquire new skills. This will give a competitive advantage to our students at AASTS, compared to other maritime academies and even traditional universities. It will open up new fields of work for our students to whom we pledged that the degree they will receive from AASTS will be among the best university degrees worldwide.”

The agreement also includes developing an awareness programme in the UAE to promote all joint activities, attract more candidates for maritime studies, coordinate public participation in events, hold conferences and workshops in maritime security, as well as cooperate in maritime legislation and laws. Marasi News platform has announced its full support for this campaign, by allocating a permanent space to publish and cover all news related to this partnership.