Nadya Abdulla Kamali, CEO, Customs World & Managing Director, Dutech • Interview
Nadya Abdulla Kamali
CEO, CUSTOMS WORLD & MANAGING DIRECTOR, DUTECH
aim to promote innovation as a cornerstone to enhance the competitiveness, attractiveness, and comprehensiveness of the maritime community and elevate Dubai to the ranks of the world’s leading maritime capitals. The Dubai Maritime Virtual Cluster is a platform that embodies DMCA’s commitment to instilling a culture of creativity and innovation as an integral part of a renewed, safe, and sustainable marine sector. The remarkable progress made by Dubai is not surprising, as it serves as a continuation of the path toward excellence to become number one in the world. DMCA’s focus on innovation to advance infrastructure and legislation is paying off, as it ensures the highest standards of efficient maritime operations, occupational safety, and environmental practices. We are currently implementing an integrated and impactful portfolio of initiatives to enhance the sector’s competitiveness and guarantee its contributions to the country’s sustainable growth and economic diversification strategy.
DMCA’S INITIATIVES
our customer value proposition: to deliver customized innovation and operational efficiency that enhances our clients’ business and meets their specific objectives. In order to make its customer product and service offering more efficient and effective, DMC was merged with DP World UAE, with the exception of the shipyard and repair services, which will merge into the Dubai Drydocks World’s portfolio. Dubai hosts the largest single-company operated port in the world, and vessels require maintenance and refits that can be provided within the group. Our yard benefits from demand created within the group. We assess opportunities across our teams and decide where certain opportunities fit best from both an execution and strategic perspective. Currently, the Drydocks World yard is constructing the first IMO Tier-III-compliant tug in the Mediterranean for P&O Reyser in the Port of Barcelona. We have a large network of stakeholders, vendors, and subcontractors that support each business in the maritime services division.
WE ARE FOCUSED ON DISRUPTION IS ONE OF THE FIVE PILLARS OF OUR STRATEGY,
and we continue to challenge the status quo and innovate. Currently, we are digitalizing our ships through onboard IoT to measure a ship’s health in real time and manage fleet maintenance effectively. Moreover, we will soon have the capability, using our proprietary software, of providing our customers with a dashboard to monitor the status of our services in real time. This is only the beginning; we look forward to further enhancing our utilization and integration of IoT and advanced data analytics. It is with this disruption mindset that we are digitalizing our entire fleet both to reduce costs and increase revenue—ensuring we surpass the standards of a true 21st-century company.
WE APPROACH INNOVATION
and technology in a number of ways. First, our current vision is to become the global integrator of container logistics. That is our response to a changing industry wherein customers want more endto-end solutions and a more managed service and product. Our website is one of the largest B2B sites, with over 35,000 daily users transacting 20,000 bookings. This online booking management is, for our industry, a step forward. We have also automated our customer quotations. In addition, we are working hard to bring innovative ocean products to our customers. For example, we have an online product that allows for an instant quotation, instant booking, and guaranteed space on a pre-defined vessel. We are witnessing significant volumes for this product, with the uptake developing much faster than we originally planned. Finally, I will mention TradeLens, an open and neutral industry platform built on blockchain technology with IBM.