HRH The Princess Royal visits Dubai to highlight work of The Mission to Seafarers

The vital role of seafarer welfare services in the United Arab Emirates and the importance of women in the maritime industry were celebrated by Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, the President of The Mission to Seafarers, on her visit to Dubai.

Her Royal Highness took part in a number of engagements during her visit, which began with a tour of DP World’s Jebel Ali Port. This was followed by a conference on seafarer welfare, jointly hosted by The Mission to Seafarers (MtS) DP World and WISTA UAE, in conjunction with Stephenson Harwood. The day concluded with a celebratory dinner at the One&Only Royal Mirage Hotel, attended by many leading supporters and potential sponsors of the Mission.

At Jebel Ali Port, the Princess was given a tour of Box Bay, an innovative solution for handling containers. Jebel Ali Port is one of the world’s top ten largest container ports in the world and the busiest port in the Middle East. Technological solutions such as Box Bay will play an important role improving safety, speed, and energy efficiency in the movement of containers.

Her Royal Highness met with the Group Chairman and CEO of DP World, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem. The Princess went on to visit DP World Headquarters, where she also met several members of the MtS Dubai-based welfare team, who explained more about their work to support seafarers calling at ports in the UAE.

This Princess’s day of engagements was organised by the Mission to Seafarers and made possible with the support and assistance of DP World, and the sponsorship of V.Group, and Oldendorff Carriers for the evening reception and dinner.

Speaking after the event, Andrew Wright, Secretary-General of The Mission to Seafarers, said:

“Today’s visit by our President, Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, has shone a deserved spotlight on the longstanding service of The Mission To Seafarers in the UAE..”

 “The UAE is a globally important shipping hub, and we are optimistic that we can move forward together, deepening our cooperation, delivering world-leading welfare services for all seafarers, and strengthening the spirit of partnership between the UAE and the UK.”

“Today’s schedule also highlighted the growing prominence of women in the shipping sector in the UAE, and WISTA UAE does a wonderful job of encouraging women to pursue a maritime career and championing the role that women can and do play in our sector. The presence of HRH The Princess Royal further endorsed the important role that women play in business today. We also saw the technological advances at DP World’s Jebel Ali Port, which highlighted the remarkable innovations that are transforming the shipping sector for the better.”

DP World Group Chairman and CEO, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem said: “We are delighted to welcome HRH The Princess Royal to Jebel Ali, our flagship port and the gateway for more than 80 shipping services each week. Since it was established in 1962 in the UAE, the Jebel Ali International Seafarers Centre has been at the heart of our port and continues to serve seafarers with the support of the country’s rulers. We take immense pride in providing a home away from home for seafarers, whose critical work connects the world and creates new possibilities for billions of people.”

HRH The Princess Royal received the Model Dhow from Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem – Group Chairman and CEO, DP World

René Kofod-Olsen, CEO of V.Group, commented:

: “It was truly an honour for WISTA UAE to join forces with the Mission to Seafarers and DP World, supported by Stephenson Harwood, for this significant event to discuss the invaluable contributions of female seafarers to global trade.”