Dubai Maritime Authority stresses adherence to maritime safety procedures in Dubai waters, calls for protecting marine environment

DUBAI, 1st September, 2021 (WAM) -- Dubai Maritime City Authority is keen to ensure maximum safety to maintain the safety of lives and facilities and to preserve the environment within the marine sector.
It aims to achieve this by following a series of standards for safety procedures for maritime means and consolidate Dubai's leadership as a safe and leading marine destination for maritime entertainment.
Sheikh Saeed bin Ahmed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum, Executive Director of the Dubai Maritime City Authority at the Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation, recommended that operators of maritime means adhere to safety guidelines, stressing the importance of complying with the best practices used to ensure navigation safety.
Sheikh Saeed stated the need to adhere to the requirements of maritime safety, and the importance of preventive measures by the operator of the craft to avoid collisions resulting from negligence, as he is responsible for taking all measures and precautions.
This indicated that the Dubai Maritime City Authority followed certain procedures to investigate the occurrence of accidents or emergencies in the Dubai maritime sector, such as accidents of delinquency or the fall of a person from the marine craft or its sinking, or in the event of collisions or fires.
Regarding the requirements that must be followed to ensure the navigational safety of marine means, Sheikh Saeed stressed the need for all marine means to possess safety equipment such as life jackets, life rings, and fire extinguishing devices, and to ensure the validity of emergency flares and visual and audio distress signals.
He added that there are procedures that must be adhered to, which include a general inspection of the marine means, safety equipment, inspection of supplies, clothing and documents, as well as navigation procedures such as leaving the berth and safe sailing, including complying with maritime traffic rules, as well as a commitment to the return procedures such as ensuring that navigation lights are working, and the use of daylight signs, and navigational buoys while in Dubai waters.
Sheikh Saeed called for preserving the marine environment from any biological or chemical pollution factors such as sewage or industrial waste, radioactive pollution and pesticides. He instructed the marine craft operator to not throw solid or liquid waste into the water and make sure that there is no leakage of motor oils, in addition to carrying out periodic maintenance of the marine vehicle's engine and monitoring the refueling process.