Dubai Maritime City and DMC Authority achieve ISO certifications

Dubai Maritime City and DMC Authority have also been awarded a certificate of compliance to PAS 99:2006 in recognition of the integration of their management systems and for reaping the benefits of adopting a single integrated management system covering all three spheres.

Amer Ali, CEO of the DMC Authority was presented with the certificates by Henrik Madsen, CEO of DNV, in the presence of senior managers from both organisations.

Dubai Maritime City and DMC Authority are the first and currently the only organisations in the Middle East to be awarded the PAS 99 Compliance Certificate by DNV, the world's leading provider of value-added, high-integrity certification services.

PAS 99 is a Publicly Available Specification of common requirements for management systems that can be used as a framework for an integrated management system.

It is intended to encourage organizations with more than one management system to view PAS 99 as the opportunity to achieve a single holistic management system to enable them to more effectively run their operations.

To mark the occasion, Amer Ali stated:

"Dubai Maritime City and Dubai Maritime City Authority opted for the ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 endorsements as these standards are widely acknowledged for Quality, Environmental, Health and Safety Management Systems. The certifications stipulate how the two organisations need to implement effective mechanisms for the satisfaction of their customers, and the welfare of their employees and communities. They also indicate our commitment to sound environmental practices and proactive implementation of strategies, while providing a safe working environment for our employees and sub-contractors."

"Most of our customers operate internationally; therefore it is easier for them to refer to a service provider singing the international language. The process however does not stop here; Dubai Maritime City and the Dubai Maritime City Authority will embark on continual improvement of performance as required by the certified management systems and we will make sure that they be harnessed and translated into organisational excellence and business sustainability. This will be the target," Ali added.

DMC and DMC Authority started the initiative with a Business Process Engineering (BPE) exercise, where selected cross functional teams worked according to a set plan with interactive participation towards developing the business processes of DMC and DMC Authority.

The high level business processes were developed by the senior management team and these were subsequently complemented by the intra and inter-departmental processes developed by the Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) from various departments.

Building upon the BPE exercise, the documentation was streamlined with the requirements of the ISO 9001, ISO 14001 & OHSAS 18001 as well as integrated in line with the PAS 99 in order to prepare the two organisations for certification against these international standards.

DMC and DMC Authority already had the infrastructure in place; putting the system into practice further strengthened and enhanced the robustness of the existing management system.

"The certification represents the leadership values and focus toward the integrated management of Quality, Health & Safety and Environment that Dubai Maritime City and the Dubai Maritime City Authority are committed to fulfil. The DNV team performed an extensive verification process of compliance toward the standards and found high levels of compliance and commitment throughout the organisation," said Henrik Madsen, CEO of DNV.

"We would like to express our congratulations to Dubai Maritime City and the Dubai Maritime City Authority for their unparalleled commitment in achieving notable organisational excellence," Madsen concluded.