<p>Press release Dubai showcases maritime strength to the shipping world in Oslo</p><p>May 12, 2015 Dubai, United Arab Emirates</p><p>Dubai Maritime City Authority, the organisation tasked with developing, monitoring and promoting maritime activity in the Emirate, has announced a significant programme of investment in this year’s Nor-Shipping event, held in Oslo and Lillestrøm, Norway. Alongside exhibiting at Nor-Shipping, DMCA is sponsoring the ‘Offshore Day’ and hosting a banquet in the Norwegian capital for leading names within the global shipping industry.</p><p>The activity is designed to showcase Dubai’s strength as a key maritime hub and highlight its further growth ambitions. Key messages will focus on the benefits of Dubai’s fully developed cluster - with specialisms in ports management, ship maintenance and operation, and wider maritime services – and its growing importance to the national economy. Maritime now contributes some 4.6% of Dubai’s total GDP (equivalent to 14.4 billion AED), while more than 75,000 new job opportunities have been created in the sector over the past two years.</p><p>“A strong maritime Dubai is good news for the shipping world,” explains His Excellency Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Chairman of Dubai Ports, Customs, and Free Zones Corporation, Chairman of DMCA. “We offer a key regional gateway for international traders, supported by modern infrastructure, an excellent business environment and an established framework of regulations and best practices.</p><p>“As we work towards our strategic objective of Dubai Maritime Vision 2030 - which will strengthen the competitive advantages we can offer – we want to further engage the shipping community and cement long- lasting relationships.</p><p>“Nor-Shipping, which attracts around 50,000 high quality international delegates over a week long programme of events, is the ideal platform to showcase Dubai and take a regional success story worldwide.”</p><p>DMCA, which was founded in 2007 and is fully supported by the Dubai government, is a driving force behind the Emirate’s emergence as a world-class maritime and logistics cluster. It sees clear economic potential in taking Dubai to Nor-Shipping, a key bi-annual event in the international shipping calendar, as explained by H.E. Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem:</p><p>“Norway is an important maritime trading partner for Dubai and the UAE, and our participation in Nor-Shipping illustrates the extent to which we value that relationship. It also showcases Dubai’s advantages to key international target audiences, such as leading shipowners, suppliers, service providers and members of the media,” he notes. </p><p>His Excellency Sten Anders Berge, The Norwegian Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, shares H.E. Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem’s opinion about the value of the relationship between the two nations, commenting: “Dubai and Norway are natural maritime partners. Dubai has established a vibrant maritime centre and a key regional hub, while Norway is a leading shipping nation with operations worldwide. By working together our maritime enterprises can support and strengthen one another, while delivering competitive benefits to the industry as a whole.” </p><p>Continued on page two…. Nor-Shipping takes place from 2 to 5 June, with the main exhibition housed in Norway’s largest meeting venue, the 39,000 sqm exhibition hall in Lillestrøm, and events taking place across Oslo itself. DCMA’s invitation-only banquet will be held beside the prestigious Astrup Fearnley Museum on the Nor-Shipping Island, Oslo, on Wednesday 3 June.</p><p>-Ends-</p><p>About Dubai Maritime City Authority www.dmca.ae</p><p>About Dubai Maritime Vision 2030:</p><p>Dubai Maritime Vision 2030 is focused on six main objectives</p><p>Establish Dubai as a leading Global Islamic Maritime Economy by encouraging Islamic financing and Halal maritime tourism, among other key drivers.</p><p>Consolidate Dubai’s position as the foremost International Maritime Centre based on competitive potentials, such as modern infrastructure, strategic location, customs facilities, and high-level services. </p><p>Elevate Dubai’s status as a prime international logistical gateway and a trans-shipment hub, backed by rapidly increasing passenger and freight transport volumes and a multifaceted trade corridor. </p><p>Create a smart maritime sector with a focus on comprehensive customer-focused eServices and superior maritime security systems, in order to better serve local, regional and international clients and stakeholders. </p><p>Promote Dubai as an epicentre for Maritime Education and Training, with graduates and technocrats who are able to guide the local maritime sector to a new level of excellence and leadership in line with the movement towards a knowledge-based economy.</p><p>Position Dubai as an exemplary international ‘Green Maritime’ body that minimally impacts the environment with its shipping and maritime- related activities through adherence to the highest standards of sustainability.</p><p>For more information on Nor-Shipping please see http://www.messe.no/en/nor-shipping/</p><p>For further information please contact:</p><p>Nawfal Al Jourani Director - Communications Dubai Maritime City Authority</p><p>Tel.: +971 4 345 5545 • Direct: +971 4 308 4508 Mob.: +971 50 652 1715 Fax: +971 4 345 2234 P.O.Box: 117774, Dubai, UAE</p>