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Dubai among top 5 global maritime hubs

Dubai - The emirate has retained its leading regional and global rankings for the fourth consecutive year

Published: Tue 7 Sep 2021, 5:53 PM

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Dubai claimed the fifth place among the 20 most powerful international centres for maritime commercial shipping and first place in the region. — File photo

Dubai claimed the fifth place among the 20 most powerful international centres for maritime commercial shipping and first place in the region. — File photo

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.

— issacjohn@khaleejtimes.com



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