KHALEEJ TIMES, Wednesday, Sep 8, 2021 | Muharram 30, 1443
Dubai among top 5 global maritime hubs
Emirates:
Dubai comes first in the Arab world and
fifth globally in the International Shipping Centre Development
Index, underscoring the competitiveness, attractiveness and inclusiveness of its
world-class maritime ecosystem.
Dubai has retained its leading regional and global
rankings for the fourth consecutive year.
The emirate’s status as a global hub for maritime
shipping and logistics was revealed in a report that was recently issued by
Baltic Exchange, and Xinhua, a London-based international news agency affiliated
with the China Economic Information Service, CEIS, according to a statement from
Dubai Media Office.
Dubai claimed, for the fourth consecutive year,
the fifth place among the 20 most powerful international centres for maritime
commercial shipping and first place in the region, ranking ahead of Rotterdam,
Hamburg, Athens / Piraeus, New York / New Jersey and Ningbo / Zhoushan.
According to the ISCD index report for 2021, Singapore, London, Shanghai and
Hong Kong are the top four centres for global freight.
With a maritime tradition dating back to hundreds
of years, the UAE enjoys an internationally recognised reputation as a logistics
and maritime hub. Dubai, in particular, has charted an impressive course in this
area with the establishment of world class port facilities like those at Jebel
Ali Port and the Dubai Dry Docks and of other initiatives dedicated to
supporting the maritime industry, such as the Dubai Maritime City Authority and
the Emirates Maritime Arbitration Centre, which provides alternative dispute
resolution services specific to maritime agreements and disputes.
Sultan bin Sulayem, chairman of the Ports, Customs
and Free Zone Corporation, said the latest recognition reflects Dubai’s
competitiveness on the global shipping landscape and ability to implement
scientific frameworks and policies that enhance the efficiency of the maritime
sector.
For Dubai to retain its leading position as only
city in the Arab world on the list is clear evidence of the emirate’s continued
growth and keenness to strengthen its position on the global maritime map, said
Sulayem.
“Dubai’s ability to maintain its position among
the world’s top five destinations for maritime shipping for the fourth year in a
row is a testament to the city’s leading position in the sector and the
exceptional maritime business environment that exists in the UAE,” he said.
Sheikh Saeed bin Ahmed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum,
executive director of the Dubai Maritime City Authority, said the International
Shipping Centre Development Index evaluates the competitiveness of attracting
maritime businesses and the extent of development in maritime centres around the
world. “Additionally it evaluates their impact in advancing the growth of
the global shipping sector. The index also evaluates government transparency
within each country on the list, while also taking into account the ease of
doing business, the performance of logistics services and capabilities of the
departments and e-governments of the countries.”
Sheikh Saeed said the index evaluates three
primary indicators (port infrastructure, shipping services and general
environment) and 16 secondary indicators using a comprehensive evaluation model
to assess the overall performance of 43 cities around the world that provide
port and shipping business services.
The index, he said, was based on a number of
secondary factors, including; the rate of transporting dry and liquid cargo, the
number of cranes, the capacity of containers and the port draughts. It also
measured the number of shipping services provided by the countries, such as
shipping brokerage, shipping engineering, shipping business and shipping
financing, as well as maritime legal services and customs tariff for shipping.