Dubai Police float maritime crisis plan
UNIFIED COMMAND CENTRE PROPOSED TO HANDLE SHIPPING ACCIDENTS AND IMPROVE RESPONSE TO EMERGENCIES
Arapid response plan is being considered by Dubai Police to quickly handle maritime emergencies along the coastline, heard officials attending a disaster-preparedness forum in Dubai yesterday.
Brigadier Omar Al Shamsi, deputy director of Operations Affairs Department, said the plan will address potential hazards from growing marine cargo, passenger and recreational marine traffic in Dubai waters to avoid maritime accidents.
Brig Al Shamsi was speaking at the First Forum of Maritime Crises and Disasters Experts organised to help build a comprehensive vision to encounter maritime threats to Dubai’s well-being. “During a sea crisis, Dubai needs to have a unified command centre for all efforts. We need a sea security system to gather all efforts during emergencies under one umbrella,” Brig Al Shamsi said.
He said the new plan is to have one command room and put tracking devices on all ships coming into Dubai waters.
Routine shipping accidents, Brig Al Shamsi said, can quickly threaten the critical infrastructure affecting millions of people in the country if proper planning is not in place to meet unforeseen incidents.
Container incident
For example, on November 13, 2017, 56 empty shipping containers slid overboard into Gulf waters off Dubai from the deck of a cargo ship due to rough seas, Brig Al Shamsi said.
Floating freely in waters, wind and currents pushed the large containers towards a nearby water desalination plant. “The containers were close to affecting the station and cutting the water supply to the city. It took us three months to pull out all containers from the sea. Such accidents can lead to a disaster or crisis,” Brig Al Shamsi said.
According to Dubai Police statistics, they recorded 103 sea accidents in Dubai last year.
Meanwhile, Lt-Colonel Ahmad Atiq Burqibah, deputy director of Crisis and Disasters in the General Department of Operations at Dubai Police, said the forum will help to exchange best practices in disaster and crisis management.
“We are ready to face any sea accident round the clock. However, we need to be prepared even more and such forums will help strengthen our ability to avoid casualties and damage of property during sea accidents.
“This forum will help find best recommendations and practices to secure the coasts by having one command room for all entities,” he added.