Held under the patronage of the UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, Tristar Group’s Maritime Logistics division held the 4th annual ‘Safety at Sea’ conference at the One & Only Royal Mirage in Dubai on 22 November
The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) expressed its confidence that the continuing initiative of Tristar will contribute greatly to safety at sea.
“The IMO will continue to work tirelessly to deal with challenges related to maritime safety by means of a multi-pronged approach, including policy development, direct interventions by our Seafarer Crisis Action Team (SCAT), and interagency and industry partnerships. We will continue to work with governments, industry stakeholders and other international organisations to enhance maritime safety and security,” explained IMO secretary general, Kitack Lim, in his opening remarks.
The IMO commended the efforts of the UAE, which was one of the first countries to classify seafarers as ‘priority workers’ and facilitated the safe exchange of more than 240,000 seafarers, who were assisted to return to their home countries safely, as well as provided with medical treatment and Covid-19 vaccines.
H.E. Eng. Hessa Al Malek, advisor to the Minister for Maritime Transport Affairs, UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure emphasised, “Seafarers are undoubtedly the backbone of our sector. In this regard, the UAE has led the way in taking action and launching ground-breaking initiatives. During the peak of the pandemic, we were the first country in the world to facilitate the safe exchange of more than 240,000 seafarers and their safe return to their home countries. Earlier this year, we launched the “Salmeen” initiative, which contributes to enhancing the quality of life of seafarers, and helps them in overcoming the challenges they faced due to the pandemic and travel restrictions. Additionally, we also launched initiatives such as 'Supporting Our Blue Army' and 'Sail Safely' to improve the quality of life of seafarers, and enhance maritime safety to protect people’s lives, respectively.
“Furthermore, we aim to increase the volume of containers handled by the nation to 50 million by 2032, with a growth rate of about 150%. This is in addition to our ambition of increasing the number of ships and tankers carrying the UAE flag to 2,000 ships. While we work on these goals, it is necessary that we also continue our efforts towards ensuring a better life for our ‘blue army,’ who have and will continue to play a major role in the industry’s success.”
In addition to highlighting issues related to the physical and mental well-being of seafarers, the conference also discussed pressing issues such as decarbonisation, energy efficiency, digitalisation, and the role of AI in driving the progress of the sector.
Following the inaugural ‘Safety at Sea’ conference in 2019, Tristar group has won multiple Corporate Social Responsibility awards for the initiative and is currently operating a 24/7 helpline for crew members in collaboration with UK-based Sailor’s Society.
