Abu Dhabi rolls out new maritime standards across its waterways

Abu Dhabi has unveiled a suite of technical guidelines aimed at strengthening regulation, safety and consistency across its maritime sector. The new standards emerged at the second-quarter session of the Abu Dhabi Standards Technical Committee, where representatives from 25 government entities convened to review documents produced by the Integrated Transport Centre, in partnership with Abu Dhabi Maritime and other agencies.

The guidelines comprise five Codes of Practice that cover core dimensions of marine operations and infrastructure. They include: the Guideline for Safe Maritime Activities and Operations, which addresses licensing, permits and safety across services such as anchorage, wreck removal, hydrographic surveys and diving; a Guideline for Public Water Transport to set minimum safety and operational standards for terminals and passenger services; a Guideline for Designing and Building Small Marine Crafts; a Guideline for Maritime Infrastructure, which defines engineering criteria for jetties, seawalls and discharge outlets; and a Guideline for Safe Operations of Marine Craft, providing procedural and checklist-based tools for vessel operations.

Officials present at the meeting emphasised that the guidelines are intended to serve as a unified reference for industry actors and regulators, aligning with international best practices. Bader Khamis Al Shemeli, Executive Director of the Conformity and Specifications Services Sector and chairman of the technical committee, remarked that the guidelines were born out of careful interagency coordination and would help reduce operational risks while supporting innovation and quality in the maritime domain. Dr Abdulla Hamad AlGhfeli, Acting Director-General of the ITC, stated that the move represents a strategic step in building a regulatory framework that raises service standards and safety levels in Abu Dhabi’s maritime sector.

Implementation responsibilities will fall largely to Abu Dhabi Maritime and the Integrated Transport Centre. The earlier adoption of a Regulatory Bylaw for Maritime Safety under the Department of Municipalities and Transport laid the legal groundwork for enforcement, covering licensing, environmental obligations, emergency response, inspections and penalties for non-compliance. That bylaw, first announced in July, underscores the stakes: Abu Dhabi’s coastal and island geography encompasses some 2,400 kilometres of shoreline and over 230 islands, making coherent oversight critical.