Global ship port systems majors see Dubai as technology hub to tap regional market potential

Commenting on the role Dubai will play in the changing dynamics of the regional shipping industry, Jennifer Vaz, Executive Director, Synergy Software Systems of the UK said: "The Dubai Maritime City will be instrumental in emphasizing Dubai's importance to the shipping industry providing next generation state-of-the-art solutions to the ship and port sector which is essential to the growth of the transportation industry."

Synergy, a Microsoft partner, will be showcasing an array of world class proven solutions for the transportation sector of port and shipping at the Ship & Port Arabia 2005, which will be open from September 3 -5 2005 at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre (DIEC).

The show, supported by Dubai Ports Authority, Saudi Port Authority, Ras Al Khaimah Port, Abu Dhabi Port Authority, and Sharjah Port Authority, will serve as a one-stop platform for trade and technology updates across the entire spectrum of the maritime industry. It will also feature a `Dubai Shipping & Logistics Conference 2005', organized by the Dubai Shipping Agents Association. Ship & Port Arabia 2005 will see participation from Germany, Korea, Greece, Saudi, Russia, Iran, UK, and USA to name a few.

"Dubai being a distribution hub to the Arabian Peninsula and the African continent has emerged as a regional player in the shipping world with global shipping firms and port authorities concentrating on the region," Jennifer said.

Elaborating on Synergy's offers at the expo, she said that organisations operating in the region and the Maritime City will look for vendors on the ground to support and implement state-of-the-art turnkey solutions to make their operations cost-effective and profitable to operate out of this region, and Synergy's offering is very relevant to this sector.

"We strongly believe that Ship & port Arabia 2005 is a show with a right focus for the shipping industry system and technology plays a crucial role in the global shipping industry and we are confident that we have solutions to offer to every type of visitor may it be ship builder, shipyards, logistics, or port authorities and port management companies," Jennifer added.

Synergy Software Systems has collaborated with global players such as Microsoft, Ingersoll-Rand, WM-Data, Miquest, RIB and others to bring best-of-the-breed solutions to the marine and transportation sector.

The broad spectrum of solutions include Ship and Port management to control transportation, ware-housing, duty collection, rental, discharging and loading of vessels, resource planning and time management, crane bookings, document management, Security management which are fully compliant with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) outlined ISPS code. Asset and facilities maintenance management and tracking via RFID technology, Estimation software for ship building and contract cost management are among the many offerings.