Closing of participation in the third edition of "Abu Dhabi Maritime Awards 2025"

Abu Dhabi, 7 November / WAM / Abu Dhabi Marine, a subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Ports Group, in cooperation with the Integrated Transport Center, affiliated with the Department of Municipalities and Transport in Abu Dhabi, announced the closing of entries for the third edition of the Abu Dhabi Marine Awards 2025, which witnessed wide interaction from marinas, marine projects and the teams working in them, which enhances the spirit of competitiveness and innovation in the maritime sector at the regional level.

This year, the Abu Dhabi Maritime Awards received wide participation from the most prominent marinas, maritime projects and promising talents from eight countries, which reflects the leading position of these awards as a regional platform for excellence and innovation in the maritime sector, and confirms its pivotal role in highlighting the best practices and modern technologies in the management and operation of marinas.

The Abu Dhabi Marine Awards continue to strengthen its position as a distinguished platform for celebrating excellence and innovation in the marina sector in the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey region, after this year’s edition witnessed strong competition in 13 diverse categories, including several new categories, the winners of which are chosen by a specialized jury, in addition to a popular category in which the winner is determined by public vote.

The density of entries reflects the diversity of competencies among the experts and participating teams, which confirms the breadth of the awards and their increasing influence in the regional maritime sector.

In its third edition, the Abu Dhabi Marine Awards recorded a qualitative expansion with the addition of new categories that reflect the depth and diversity of contributions that shape the marina sector in the region.

Among the most prominent new categories are the “Best Emerging Marina Award” to honor small and medium-sized marinas whose capacity does not exceed 200 berths…and the “Project Awards” which aim to highlight influential initiatives within the marina sector…and individual awards, namely: the “Distinguished Leader Award”, the “Distinguished Service Champion Award”, and the “Promising Competencies Award”, to honor individuals who represent the vital element of the sector’s development and contribute to enhancing innovation and excellence in marinas in the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey.

This new approach adds a human dimension to the awards, by highlighting the success stories of front-line workers, inspiring pioneers, and promising talents, to honor individuals who constitute the essential element of the sector’s development, thanks to their passion, innovation, and commitment to excellence, and whose contributions reflect a positive impact that extends to society and customers alike.

The new version of the competition includes the return of the five basic categories that constitute the pillars of institutional excellence in the marina sector, which are customer experience, functional excellence, health and safety, innovation, and sustainability, while the prestigious “Best Overall Marina” award remains a title of leadership, which is given to the marina that achieves integrated excellence across these five axes combined.

In this context, Dr. Abdullah Hamad Al Ghafli, Acting Director General of the Integrated Transport Center, said that the Abu Dhabi Maritime Awards embody Abu Dhabi’s commitment to strengthening its position as a global destination for innovation in the maritime sector, and consolidating the principles of quality and sustainability in the management and operation of marinas.

The awards celebrate the exceptional achievements of individuals and institutions, and highlight the role of innovation and joint work in developing a more efficient and flexible maritime system that contributes to achieving a balance between the requirements of economic growth, preserving the environment, and improving the quality of life.

For his part, Captain Saif Al Muhairi, CEO of Abu Dhabi Maritime and Chief Sustainability Officer at Abu Dhabi Ports Group, said that the Abu Dhabi Marine Awards are a pioneering platform to highlight the vital role of the marina sector, and celebrate stories of success and excellence within the sector. By expanding the scope of the awards, we seek to highlight the pivotal contributions of individuals and teams to the success of the regional maritime sector, and we are proud to celebrate their commitment, innovation and influence.

As in the previous two editions of the Abu Dhabi Marine Awards, which were held over the past two years, the doors to participate in the awards were opened to all owners and operators of licensed marinas in the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey region. Due to the great demand witnessed in the current session, the submission period was extended, in a clear indication of the growing status of the awards and its value as a leading platform for honoring excellence regionally.

All entries are currently undergoing the first round of evaluation by a qualified team of accredited experts in preparation for presenting them to the main judging panel, while the public continues its pivotal role in determining the winner of the “Most Popular Marina” award, which is awarded based on reliable and secure electronic voting via the official awards platform www.maritime-awards.com, which began on October 20, reflecting the award’s commitment to transparency and enhancing community participation in honoring the pioneers of the maritime sector.

Nominees for the “Best Overall Anchor” and “Best Emerging Anchor” awards will be automatically included in the five institutional sub-categories.

In order to ensure the principle of justice and equal opportunities among participants, the winners of these two awards will not be eligible to win in the other sub-categories, which provides a wider opportunity to honor a larger number of distinguished people in the various fields of the maritime sector.

All winners will be announced during the Abu Dhabi Marine Awards ceremony scheduled for November 20, on the sidelines of the Abu Dhabi International Boat Show, one of the most prominent regional gatherings of boating industry professionals and dealers in the marina sector.

It is worth noting that the Abu Dhabi Maritime Awards are one of the most prominent strategic initiatives of Abu Dhabi Maritime, which were launched in cooperation with the Integrated Transport Center with the aim of developing waterways management and promoting innovation in the maritime sector.

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