Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman of Dubai Ports, Customs & Free Zone Corporation (PCFZ), will deliver the keynote address at Seatrade Middle East Maritime 2004, the region’s most important exhibition and conference for the maritime industries, which opens at Dubai World Trade Centre on December 6th (Monday). Bin Sulayem will also be Guest of Honour at the first Dubai International Maritime Awards, held as part of the event.

The show has tripled the size of the previous edition in 2003 with more than 200 exhibiting companies from more than 30 countries.

It features first time national pavilions from Iran, Turkey, India, Pakistan and Holland. Conference delegate numbers have already passed 330 from 40 countries.

Chris Hayman, Managing Director of Seatrade, the organisers of the event, said: “The massive expansion of the regional industries, coupled with forecasts of continued growth, has seen the show take a quantum leap in both size and scope.

“We are now attracting so much global interest that, in future the event will be held every two years to fit in with the international maritime conference/exhibition calendar.”

Seatrade Middle East Maritime is held under the patronage of His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Mattoon, Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Defence Minister, and runs from

December 6-8.

Pakistan’s Minister for Ports & Shipping, His Excellency Khan Ghouri, will be a VIP guest at the inaugural Dubai International Maritime Awards, to be presented at the Fairmont hotel on December 6. It has been announced that the awards will now be an annual event.

The general conference sessions during Seatrade Middle East Maritime 2004 are Trade Shipping and Ports; Dry Bulk Cargoes; Energy Demand and Tanker Transportation and Quality Shipping, Security and the Environment.

An Investing in Shipping session has been added to the programme and has attracted so much interest that Seatrade is now organising a follow up Money & Ships conference in Dubai from December 12 to 13 next year at Grand Hyatt Dubai, which will coincide with the second edition of the Dubai International Awards.

Running alongside Seatrade Middle East Maritime 2004 will be the SuperYacht Solutions conference and the fourth Seatrade Middle East Cruise Conference. The event will also see a total of 16 cruise lines taking part in a VIP cruise programme hosted by the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, Government of Dubai (DTCM) and facilitated by Arabian Adventures.

Lines taking part include Hapag-Lloyd, Kreuzfahrten GmbH, Costa Crociere SpA, Mediterranean Shipping Cruises SpA, Star Cruises, Star Clipper Cruises, Carnival UK, Saga Shipping Company Ltd, Silversea Cruises UK Ltd, Crystal Cruises, Holland America, Line Westours Inc, Radisson Seven Seas, Royal Caribbean International, Seabourn Cruise Line and Viking River Cruises.

Hayman added: “This is the largest and most wide ranging series of conference sessions we have ever hosted reflecting the importance of the event as a forum for the regional industry.”

The event is sponsored by Dubai Maritime City; Dubai Ports Authority; Government of Dubai Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing; Gulf Energy Maritime PJSC (GEM); and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL).

Other sponsors include Aalborg Industries A/S (Dubai branch); Aqua Group; Arabian Adventures; Bloomberg; British Airways; Bulk Shipping & Trading (pvt) Ltd; BP Marine; Clyde & Co; Dubai Metals & Commodities Centre; Edmiston; HSBC; Lloyd’s Register; Net Cruises; Nico International; Norton Rose; Reuters; Scan-Trans Chartering LLC; and Sharaf Shipping Agency LLC.

Supporters of the event include Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry; Dubai Shipping Agents Association; National Association of Freight Logistics; Indian National Shipowners’ Association; the Nautical Institute UAE Branch and UAE National Ship Suppliers’ Association.