Environmentally sustainable construction is key to maritime success, says Dubai Maritime City

The event is being held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, UAE Minister of Finance and Industry and Chairman of Dubai Municipality; and is organized by Dubai Municipality in cooperation with the Brussels-based International Navigation Association (PIANC).

More than 1,000 of the world's top maritime scientists, engineers and coastal managers will convene at the event, tackling issues relating to Dubai's coastal developments, including Dubai Creek's marine environment issues; coastal modeling of the Dubai coastline; the generic impact of large-scale constructions on the shoreline; port expansion; and more. PIANC-COPEDEC VII is expected to significantly bolster regional maritime initiatives, particularly as more than USD 100 billion worth of investments in waterfront developments are currently underway in the Arabian Gulf.

'Dubai is leading the world in coastal developments, which is why regional developers must set an example by leveraging the most cutting-edge research and technologies to engineer developments that protect our coastlines,' said Amer Ali, CEO of Dubai Maritime City. 'Environmentally sustainable construction, in terms of land and infrastructure development, is the key element of Dubai's long-term maritime success as it will distinguish the city as a sophisticated maritime location that addresses pertinent global issues.'

'As the world's largest maritime centre, Dubai Maritime City is playing a key role in the transformation of Dubai into one of the world's most competitive clusters, which is why we are supporting the research, development and discussions that uphold the well-being of our coastline. We are also proud to be one of the first developments in Dubai to instruct all developers, contractors and consultants to follow green building principles during construction, to protect the environment and natural resources, as well as to provide suitable surroundings that boost productivity and guarantee optimized living and working conditions to ensure short and long-term investment returns,' Ali added.

The Conference, with the theme 'Best Practices in the Coastal Environment' will discuss 226 papers from 14 countries relating to coastal and port infrastructure engineering; ports and marina management and planning; development of sea frontage and coastal stabilization; monitoring of beach movement; coastal areas and environment management; coastal areas risks management; and short-distance ship cargo and marine navigation. The Waterfront 2008 Exhibition is being held concurrently, where global exhibitors will showcase a range of maritime products and services.