Achievement exemplifies Abu Dhabi’s vision to become a top maritime city globally

Marking a significant step in maritime prominence, Abu Dhabi has secured its place within the top 25 of maritime cities worldwide, jumping an impressive 10 places since 2022, to reach position 22, the highest jump among all cities, according to the prestigious 2024 Leading Maritime City (LMC) Report, unveiled in Singapore.

The LMC report, a bi-annual benchmarking study jointly produced by DNV and Menon Economics, assesses the performance of 50 leading maritime cities across key sectors such as shipping, finance and law, maritime technology, and port and logistics. This year marks the sixth edition of the report, providing invaluable insights for maritime administrations, industry stakeholders, and the global maritime community.

Abu Dhabi’s growth has been driven by strong gains in the “Attractiveness and Competitiveness” and “Enhancement in Shipping” pillars. It also achieved impressive rankings across all other key indicators and scored favourably in terms of projected growth as a leading maritime centre of the world, continuing Abu Dhabi’s growing prominence in the global maritime landscape.

A major contributor to this success is Abu Dhabi Maritime, established in 2020 via an agreement between AD Ports Group and The Department of Municipalities and Transport to manage the growth and development of Abu Dhabi’s maritime domain. Abu Dhabi Maritime was committed through its dedicated efforts to positioning the emirate as a leading global maritime hub. This was reflected in Abu Dhabi entering the LMC ranking for the first time in 2022, and its outstanding ascent in overall ranking to 22^nd today.

AD Ports Group has invested heavily across a number of areas which fall under the ranking criteria.  Bolstering commercial and leisure maritime infrastructure, enhancing digital capabilities and augmenting the maritime regulatory framework, has contributed significantly to this success, as have initiatives such as the launch of Maritime Hub Abu Dhabi, expansion of public water transportation networks and sustainability projects. 

Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, Managing Director and Group CEO of AD Ports Group, said: “We are delighted to see Abu Dhabi’s remarkable progress recognised in the 2024 Leading Maritime City Report. This achievement serves as a testament to the forward-thinking approach of our wise leadership, and the dedication and hard work of Abu Dhabi Maritime alongside the maritime community.  It also underscores AD Ports Group’s unwavering commitment to continued investment, innovation, and environmental responsibility in the maritime sector. Through strategic initiatives and collaborative efforts, we are confident in our efforts to further elevate Abu Dhabi’s status as a global maritime hub.”

Benjamin Dineshkar – Head of Maritime Advisory, Middle East and Africa, co- author of the report, said: “Abu Dhabi has made the most remarkable progress, moving 10 places from 32 to 22.  Compared to the cities that were in the top 50 for both 2022 and 2024, Abu Dhabi has achieved the biggest leap among the cities. This is a result of strategic public policies and consistent investment, reflected in the strong performance in many indicators and the overall LMC ranking. For Abu Dhabi to have only entered the top 50 of the Leading Maritime City Report in 2022, this is a tremendous achievement.”

The 2024 Leading Maritime City report gives valuable insights into the strongholds of today’s global maritime industry, it is used by maritime administrations and industry shareholders to identify improvement areas for increasing the competitiveness and attractiveness of a city. The report is also valuable to the global maritime community. Through the report, they can assess what are the best locations for investment, and possible relocation and can get a better understanding of the supplier networks in a particular location that can support them, the talent available, business environment and access to capital funding.