International Maritime Organization

About IMO

About IMO

The Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure is interested in the principle of partnership with various parties, as the partnership is a long-term strategic relationship between the Ministry and any other party that meets in its objectives with the Ministry.

UAE Significant Maritime Initiatives

The Role And Responsibilities Of The IMO Executive Council

The Council is the executive organ of IMO and is responsible, under the Assembly, for supervising the work of the Organization. The Council is made up of 40 Member States, elected by the Assembly for two-year terms.

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Category A

Category (A) 10 States with the largest interest in providing international shipping services.

The current members from the period 2022-2023 are China, Greece, Italy, Japan, Norway, Panama, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, United Kingdom, Northern Ireland and United States.

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Category B

Category (B) 10 States with the largest interest in international seaborne trade.

The current members from the period 2022-2023 are Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and United Arab Emirates.

roles-and-responsibility
Category C

Category (C) 20 States not elected under (a) or (b) above, which have special interests in maritime transport or navigation and whose election to the Council will ensure the representation of all major geographic areas of the world.

The current members from the period 2022-2023 are Bahamas, Belgium, Chile, Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Morocco, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Thailand, Turkey, and Vanuatu.

roles-and-responsibility

Maritime education support

The UAE is considered one of the first contributors to the efforts of the International Maritime Organization to establish the World Maritime University in Malmö, Sweden, since its establishment in 1983, through its active membership in the Board of Governors and the Executive Committee, between 1983 and 1991. This is in addition to the Member State’s participation in many national and international forums, which aim to transfer and exchange experiences in the field of maritime education and training.

Maritime education support
Maritime education support

As part of the UAE’s interest in the field of maritime training, the Member State established in Khorfakkan in the Emirate of Sharjah a branch of the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport, Sharjah branch, one of the academies of the League of the Arab States, which is headquartered in Alexandria, Egypt. The state has also established the Abu Dhabi Maritime Academy in the capital Abu Dhabi.

UAE's role in supporting sustainability in the maritime sector in the IMO

Seafarers support

Seafarers support

COVID vaccination

COVID vaccination

Emission reduction

Emission reduction

Supporting The IMO In Achieving Its Strategic Vision And Directions

The UAE is committed to its responsibility of participating in establishing a sustainable platform for exchanging knowledge between member states with maritime administrations on best practices, providing added value to the technical and legal discussions held at the International Maritime Organization. It has contributed to proposals aimed at strengthening safety and maritime security regulations and preserving the marine environment.

Supporting The IMO In Achieving Its Strategic Vision And Directions
Supporting The IMO In Achieving Its Strategic Vision And Directions

The Member State sought to amend Article (81) of the IMO Convention, which previously included the use of only Spanish, English, and French within the organization. The UAE has proposed adding Arabic, Chinese, and Russian Federation as equally authentic languages, and these amendments will require several years to be implemented.

The UAE contributed to amending the IMO agreement by submitting a proposal to increase the members of the organization’s council to consist of 52 members instead of 40 members, to be included under three categories: Category A and Category B, which include 12 members and Category C, which includes 28 members, in addition to the proposal to increase the term of office of the Council for four years and increasing the quorum to become 34 members

Supporting The IMO In Achieving Its Strategic Vision And Directions

Empowering women in the maritime sector

Empowering women in the maritime sector

Empowering women in the maritime sector

Supporting Gender Equality

Supporting Gender Equality

Arab women in maritime association

Arab women in maritime association

Commitment To International Agreements

Commitment To International Agreements
  • The UAE participated in a proposal to develop the best approach to the process of determining the regulatory scoping of Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) within the framework of the maritime safety committee and the legal committee.
  • The UAE has contributed to the work of the legal committee by submitting..
  • The UAE, in coordination with the International Maritime Organization’s technical cooperation department, hosted several regional workshops and other capacity-building activities to help the IMO provide the capabilities needed to implement international maritime regulations and standards. In addition to submitting the assembly resolution proposal on funding and partnership arrangements for an effective and sustainable integrated technical cooperation program.
  • The UAE has acceded to and ratified 35 of the treaty instruments (conventions and protocols) of the International Maritime Organization, in addition to the application of these instruments within the national legislation, which was significantly reflected in the results of the report of the organization’s program for auditing member states (IMSAS), implemented in 2016. Its results revealed the degree of commitment of the maritime sector. In this regard, the UAE’s levels are comparable to developed member states in the field of maritime transport.

Key pillars of the UAE's competitiveness in the maritime sector and marine infrastructure

The National Committee for Trade Facilitation

The UAE has formed the National Committee for Trade Facilitation, which includes the sectors of maritime transport, aviation, land and railways within a unified national framework, fulfilling the requirements for implementing the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) of the World Trade Organization (WTO), including meeting the requirements of the Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic (FAL).

The National Committee for Trade Facilitation
Marine Accident Response and Rescue

Within the framework of the National Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA), the UAE seeks to achieve its policy regarding the necessary procedures for emergency crisis and disaster management. Additionally, several national emergency response plans have been developed and implemented, including marine accident response, rescue and marine emergencies, including combating oil spills from ships, and search and rescue plans.

Marine Accident Response and Rescue
Maritime safety and shipping

The UAE is one of the founding members of the Riyadh Memorandum of Understanding (Riyadh MoU) that aims to achieve maritime safety and effective and efficient maritime transport in the Arabian Gulf region, as well as a unified system of port state control measures on foreign ships visiting the Member State's ports. It also works to intensify cooperation and exchange of information on issues related to port state control.

Maritime safety and shipping
National Climate Change Plan

The UAE has prepared the National Climate Change Plan of the UAE 2017-2050, which aims to address the challenges of climate change, in support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

National Climate Change Plan
Unique and strategic geographical location

The UAE is proud of its unique coastline, as the port of Fujairah overlooks the eastern coast of the Member State, the Sea of Oman and the Indian Ocean and ranks second in the world among the three largest global suppliers of bunker fuel.

Unique and strategic geographical location
UAE Global Maritime and Logistics Investments

The UAE hosts the headquarters of DP World, which is one of the world's leading and most efficient investors in managing and operating international ports. It currently operates 181 container terminals in 64 Member States. The UAE is also home to Jebel Ali Port, which ranks ninth among the largest container ports in the world.

UAE Global Maritime and Logistics Investments
Capabilities of the national fleet and ports

The UAE is among the 20 largest container fleet owners in the world. It is one of the largest major port centres in the Arabian Peninsula. The Member State still maintains its leading position in the index of connectivity between sea lines in the region, and its ports have been ranked among the top ten international ports in terms of volume of container handling.

Capabilities of the national fleet and ports
Maritime safety and security in the UAE

Since the implementation of the ISPS Code in 2004, the UAE has sought to enhance the security and safety of navigation in its waters, by adopting more safety and security requirements. These requirements include the installation of identification devices for all fishing and pleasure boats. The additional requirements have been expanded to include all fishing ports, marinas and ports that receive ships that do not fall under the requirements of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), to ensure maritime safety and security.

The National Committee for Trade Facilitation

The organizational structure of IMO

View the organizational structure of the International Maritime Organization.

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