Dubai: Fourteen marine public transport navigation routes along the coastline of Dubai have been allocated by the Dubai Maritime City Authority (DMCA) in collaboration with the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).
The 14 routes will be represented in global marine maps, Nawfal Al Jourani, Director of Communications at Dubai Maritime City Authority, told Gulf News.
“The routes were there but they were not mutually agreed upon nor were clearly identified because there was no formal body to regulate it.” He explained that one could get from point A to B in many different ways, but now there will be a clear way.
Al Jourani added that this will organise movement and create easy access to marine transport. He also said that this will help with determining the speed and manoeuvring of the boats.
DMCA is the government authority charged with regulating, coordinating and supervising all aspects of the maritime sector in Dubai. “We aim to introduce best practices in every marine sector in the emirate,” Al Journai said,
The new route announcement was in line with Dubai’s Maritime Sector Strategy’s (MSS) ongoing efforts to regulate marine traffic flow in response to the fast emerging development.
The initiative aims to regulate the marine public transport sector, which continues to see a high rate of usage across different social segments.
Last year, Dubai’s marine transit, which include abras, the Dubai Ferry, water buses and water taxis together ferried about 13 million passengers.
Amer Ali, Executive Director of DMCA, said, “Our partnership with RTA is based on a common vision to streamline marine traffic flow and maintain the highest standards of maritime safety and integration among the different means of marine public transport in Dubai,”
Dr Yousuf Al Ali, CEO of RTA, said, “Marine public transport is increasingly being used by residents, nationals and tourists as it offers high levels of flexibility, convenience and cost-efficiency, and especially since it passes near major residential and tourist areas, hotels, spas and maritime sports clubs along Dubai’s coastline.”
The new initiative, he added, will significantly contribute to promoting maritime security and safety while regulating marine traffic flow.
Ali Al Dabbous, Executive Director of Operations at DMCA said that DMCA remains committed to cooperating with industry-related government and non-government entities to launch awareness campaigns, initiatives and strategies. This, he said, would help boost the competitiveness in the maritime sector and therefore achieve sustainable growth while underlining Dubai’s pivotal role in the regional and international maritime industry.
