Tag: UAE

Urgent need to formulate international guidelines to tackle piracy

Italy's MSC Cruises has scrapped plans to return to the emirate this year The first cruise company to use Abu Dhabi as a home port is pulling out less than a year after it started sailing from the capital as the industry struggles in the wake of the Costa Concordia disaster.Italy's MSC Cruises has scrapped plans to return to the emirate this year for the next season in a setback for the emirate's ambitions to become a cruise industry hub.A variety of factors were behind its decision to withdraw, including commercial reasons, the limited facilities and range of cruise destinations in the region, and a preference to take the ship that was destined for Abu Dhabi to South Africa instead, the company said."There is no doubt that MSC Cruises' guests enjoyed the destination," MSC Cruises said. "However, for the long-term success of cruising in the region, new ports of call need to be developed, terminal facilities must be upgraded and there must be increased focus on sourcing from local and regional markets."Abu Dhabi has identified the cruise sector as an important pillar in its tourism ambitions as it aims to attract 2.3 million hotel guests by the end of this ...

Piracy threats pose major challenges to the global shipping industry Piracy threats pose major challenges to the global shipping industry, a top UAE government official said."While globalisation has opened up new trade routes, increased volume of trade and elevated the global role that ports play, there are several challenges that the industry faces today," Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansouri, UAE Minister of Economy, said yesterday.The minister called for concerted and collective efforts to solve piracy at sea, which is a burden for the shipping industry."The shipping business in general now has to address growing piracy threats. There are regional concerns too, especially those relating to the potential closure of shipping routes," Al Mansouri said, hinting at Iran's threats to close the Strait of Hormuz if attacked.He added that these concerns have international implications and must be addressed in the spirit of cooperation and dialogue.Meanwhile, the UAE remains one of the world's top 20 exporters of merchandise by value, as well as in imports of containerised cargo.Dubai ports in top 10Speaking at the opening of the second World Ports and Trade Summit, Al Mansouri quoted the World Shipping Council, saying that two of the world's top 50 container ports are in ...

United Arab Emirates' economy minister said Gulf concerns including threats to shut shipping lanes, persistent piracy and volatile oil prices need a global response, the United Arab Emirates' economy minister said on Monday."The shipping business in general now has to address growing piracy threats. There are regional concerns too, especially those relating to the potential closure of shipping routes," Sultan bin Saeed al-Mansouri told a conference. "These concerns have international implications and must be addressed in the spirit of cooperation and dialogue."The UAE, one of the world's top oil exporters, ships its crude through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has threatened to block as tensions between Tehran and the West have intensified over the last few months.Leaders in the region have sought assurances Iran will not carry out its threat, made in response to Western efforts to squeeze Tehran's oil exports. About a fifth of the world's traded oil passes through the Strait and into the pirate-infested Indian Ocean.The Strait of Hormuz has been constantly patrolled by a fleet of U.S., French and British naval vessels for years.Mansouri also called for more cooperation on fighting piracy and said merchant shipping was likely to be hit by current oil price ...

MT Royal Grace set off from a Sharjah port for Nigeria three weeks ago The MT Royal Grace, a chemical tanker owned by Oyster Cargo and Shipping Company, set off from a Sharjah port for Nigeria three weeks ago with a crew of 22."On March 2 we were alerted that there was an attack on the ship and had it confirmed that it was taken by pirates on March 4," said a spokesman at the multinational counter-piracy force EU Navfor.The hijacking means 21 vessels and 289 hostages are being held by Somali pirates.Andrew Mwangura, a programme coordinator for the Seafarers' Assistance Programme in Kenya, said he believed the ship was being held off the coast near the town of Garacad in Somalia."Among the crew members are three Nigerians, 17 Indians, one Pakistani and a Bangladeshi," Mr Mwangura said. "The ship was on its maiden voyage."He said the group had not heard of any negotiations between the owners and the pirates for ransom."The ship is still fresh and there are no reports of shortage of supplies," Mr Mwangura said.Family members of the crew said they were worried about the safety of their loved ones, some of whom were at sea for ...

Jebel Ali Port Under the patronage of His Excellency Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Public Works and Chairman of the Higher Committee, the Higher Committee for UAE Civil Seaports and Airports Security, has recognised DP World, UAE Region with two prestigious awards for its commitment to security at its port facilities.The premier regional port operator won the "Distinctive Management in Seaports Sector" and "Excellence in Seaports Sector Training" awards at the Higher Committee's annual awards ceremony in Abu Dhabi.HE Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mubarak presented the awards to Mohammed Al Muallem, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, DP World, UAE Region, and Mahmood Amin, Chief Executive Officer, World Security, the specialist turnkey security solutions provider of Dubai World.The award cited Jebel Ali Port for its committed adherence to the highest levels of security requirements, which include implementing the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code to enhance security of ships and port facilities, and providing specialist training to security teams.Mohammed Al Muallem, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, DP World, UAE Region, said:"Ensuring security at our facilities is part of DP World's commitment to safeguarding the national interests of the UAE as well as the interests of ...

In the last two weeks, two UAE-owned vessels have been hijacked In recent years, Somali piracy has moved from isolated incidents to become the main talking point in the shipping industry. The pirates have constantly been evolving their strategy and reacting to the developing security measures being brought against them.In the last two weeks, two UAE-owned vessels have been hijacked while trading with Somalia. This is just a small indication of how the Arabian Gulf has been and continues to be affected by the phenomenon.Piracy is in no way limited to the shores of Somalia and the Indian Ocean. Piracy and armed robbery at sea is a global phenomenon. Hijacking vessels is not a unique tactic of Somali gangs; West African pirates target small tankers to offload their cargo and occasionally members of the crew. Some South-East Asian criminal gangs target barge-towing tugs for their value on the international market. But Somali piracy has seen the highest-profile hijacking for ransom model, which last year generated nearly $200 million (Dh735 million) in payments.The Middle East has always been affected by the growth of these hijacking groups; however, piracy has gradually targeted vessels on more and more trading routes, so that any ...

It is hoped the pirates will then free the ship Somali pirates who last week hijacked the UAE-based MV Leila cargo vessel may have wanted help repairing their own ship, says an employee of the Dubai-based shipowner.It is hoped the pirates will then free the ship because the cargo owner is also Somali and can negotiate with them, said Tarik, the cargo clearing clerk for the New Port Cargo and Shipping Company.The ship's captain has stayed in contact by satellite phone and the 15-man crew from India, Pakistan and Somalia remain unharmed, he said."The crew are all okay. They are safe. They are speaking on the telephone," Tarik said. "Maybe the Somalis themselves, they can solve this problem."The dozen or so pirates who boarded last week 50 nautical miles off the coast of Oman are "demanding some repairs for their vessel, some spare parts", he said. "Their boat is also with them. Maybe they will repair it and go back."It was unclear if the ship is currently headed toward its destination, the Somali port town of Berbera, or toward Bossaso, where the pirates are believed to come from, he said.The cargo included foodstuffs, vehicles, building materials and other goods.The MV ...

For its work in improving the efficiency of the supply chain DP World, UAE Region has won the prestigious Dubai Award for Sustainable Transport (DAST) for its work in improving the efficiency of the supply chain.The award was presented by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and patron of the Dubai Award for Sustainable Transport, to Mohammed Al Muallem, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, DP World, UAE Region.DAST is an annual award organised by the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). DP World, UAE Region received the award for 2012 in the Mobility Management category for its "Automated Gate System" project, which commenced operation in Jebel Ali Port in August 2010, at an event held in Dubai on Tuesday (February 14, 2012).Mohammed Al Muallem, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, DP World, UAE Region, said:"We are proud to have received this award in recognition of our innovative Automated Gate project. It is part and parcel of our many initiatives aimed at easing traffic congestion and avoiding truck bottlenecks at the gates around and inside Jebel Ali Port. This also reduces costs as well as carbon emissions. This recognition motivates us to ...

Response to maritime piracy should be led by states in the region directly affected The UAE has said the international response to maritime piracy should be increasingly led and owned by states in the region directly affected.As the Chair of the 11th Session of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia, the UAE praised the 'tangible advances' the Working Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia has made and upped the international response.In his statement before the 21st meeting of the group in Djibouti on Monday, Faris Mohammad Al Mazrouei, assistant foreign minister for security and military affairs, said the Contact Group has facilitated the construction of a comprehensive counter-piracy legal regime among regional states, and supported the prosecution, trial and incarceration of apprehended pirates."Today, more than 1000 pirates have faced trial - most within the region," he said.Al Mazrouei also cited the group's extensive work to raise awareness of the threat from piracy: both in terms of keeping this issue high on the agenda of the international community, and also in effective communication to Somalis, in Somalia and the diaspora, of the threat that piracy poses to their country.He added the group has also established ...