07 Apr 2020
According to the Dubai Maritime City Association (DMCA), Dubai currently hosts more than 5,500 maritime companies and 13,000 maritime activities, which in turn support more than 76,000 jobs. The sector contributes almost seven per cent of the Emirates’ gross domestic product, equivalent to $7.3bn, which the government hopes to significantly increase by 2030. Liked twinned stars, the fortunes of the maritime connectivity industry and Dubai Maritime City are both shining brightly. “The need for fast and efficient communications, including video conferencing, tele-medicine, IoT and more, aboard vessels and between land and sea, will drive greater usage of VSAT technology. By 2030, connectivity will play an even bigger role in improving efficiencies in the maritime industry,” says Nabil Ben Soussia, VP – Maritime, IEC Telecom Group.
Several infrastructure developments are expected to boost the UAE’s maritime sector which, at $65 billion, accounts for 30-35 per cent of the total regional maritime sector investment. Satcom technologies could potentially give local authorities access to a whole new range of data which could increase the efficiency of local governance in a wealth of spheres including fishing monitoring, traffic control, maritime safety, and more.