Suhail Al Mazrouei: The UAE has contributed to conveying the voice of the maritime sector to the world, and we have an active participation in maritime decision-making 

The UAE has consolidated its leading position among the best maritime centres in the world. It has become one of the influential countries in developing the maritime industry. The UAE’s practices, decisions and legislations have contributed to developing the sector and enhancing maritime safety standards, as well as protecting the marine environment globally.

In 2017, the UAE was elected to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Council under category B and was re-elected in 2019. The UAE is seeking re-election for the third consecutive time. Election will take place from 6 to 15 December 2021 in London. The UAE aims to continue its active role in strengthening maritime legislation and regulations to serve the shipping sector and international trade.

Commenting on the UAE’s role in the International Maritime Organization, H.E. Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, said, “The UAE is one of the key maritime countries worldwide and has achieved many records in global competitiveness indicators in the maritime sector. It was ranked 3rd globally in transport services trade and in Bunker Supply Index. It ranked fifth globally as a key competitive maritime hub. The UAE’’s ports rank among the top 10 internationally in the volume of container handling. The UAE ports handled over 15 million TEUs during 2020, while there were over 25,000 port calls in the UAE during 2020.”

His Excellency added, “Through the UAE membership in the IMO Council, we continue to work with member states to advance the global maritime sector and the shipping industry through a collective contribution to the IMO’s mission of achieving the safety, security and efficiency of maritime transport in clean oceans. The UAE has played an active role during the previous and current cycles, and succeeded in introducing fundamental amendments to many decisions that contribute to the development and improvement of the work system to keep pace with global changes and modern technologies, taking into account the importance of easing the burdens on ship owners and maritime companies, in addition to the role of those decisions in unifying efforts from for the safety, security and protection of the marine environment worldwide.”

H.E. Hassan Mohamed Juma Al-Mansoori, Undersecretary for the Infrastructure and Transport Sector at the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, said, “The UAE’s seaborne trade and transhipment efforts cater to about two billion populations from China, India, and the Gulf States to Eurasia and all the way to Eastern Europe. The UAE is committed to uphold its responsibility towards participating in establishing a sustainable platform for sharing Know-how knowledge among maritime nations and administrations on best practices, and adding value to the technical and legal discussions held at the IMO, by contributing with proposals aimed at enhancing regulations for safety and security as well as preserving the marine environment.”

Al-Mansoori said that the UAE’s commitment to an inclusive approach as a major flag State, port State and coastal State, has enabled it to address wider maritime issues in a comprehensive, well-balanced, and integrated manner to contribute to the international maritime community within IMO framework.

H.E. Hessa Al Malek, Advisor to the Minister for Maritime Transport Affairs, UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, said, “The UAE is one of the countries in supporting and empowering women in all fields, especially the maritime sector. It contributed in drafting the IMO Assembly Resolution A.1147 (31) “Preserving the Legacy of the World Maritime Theme for 2019 and Achieving a Barrier-Free Working Environment for Women in the Maritime Sector” which was adopted at the thirty-first session of IMO Assembly in 2019. The UAE is also one of the founders of the International Maritime Organization Communication Network for Gender Equality (IMOGENder), which is a forum for delegates of member states and observer delegations to the International Maritime Organization to work in a coordinated manner to exchange information and exchange ideas and best practices aimed at achieving gender equality and enhancing the participation of women in the maritime sector. The UAE currently holds the presidency of the Arab Women in Maritime Association (AWIMA), in cooperation with the IMO Technical Cooperation Programme, in supporting women in the maritime sector to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly the fifth goal in achieving gender equality and empowering women.”

Protecting the marine environment

The UAE has contributed in works to prepare and implement the IMO initial strategy on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from ships and will continue its support towards the development of follow-up actions plan and the fourth IMO-GHG study. The UAE contributed significantly to protecting the marine environment and helping the shipping sector to the IMO legislation to reduce sulphur oxide emissions by providing new, low-sulphur fuels at an affordable price. In addition, the UAE has aligned its National Maritime Strategy with the IMO Strategic Plan for the six-year period 2018-2023.

The UAE is a founder member of the Riyadh Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to achieve safe, secure and efficient shipping in the maritime jurisdictions in the Arabia Gulf region and to unified system of port state control measures and to intensify cooperation and information exchange on issues concerning Port State Control.