Following the success of the Maritime Leadership Program (MLP24) event last month (read the full MLP24 recap on our blog here), Emirates Shipping Association held a debrief event on 25th June at the Ministry of Energy & Infrastructure Auditorium in Dubai. Huma Qureshi, General Manager ESA, opened with a detailed recap of the learnings over the five days, presenting the event recap video which you can view below.

Dr. Waddah Ghanem, MLP24 Program Director & ESA Board Member,  highlighted the careful planning and organisation that went into developing MLP24 to ensure it truly benefited participants. Dr. Waddah noted that the Danish Maritime Authority views maritime issues as crucial to Denmark’s growth and prosperity.

Capt. Raj Shetty, Head of Marine- ENOC,  led an interactive session to engage with attendees, garnering insights and feedback on the program. It was further exciting to learn that the program had yielded partnership opportunities for the attending participants as well. The lightning round quiz was an exciting feature that led to testing participants’ knowledge of MLP24. Congratulations to the quiz winners.

Key Takeaways from the Recap Event

• Denmark is a global maritime hub, and the UAE shows potential as a leading flag state.
• The MOU between the Danish Shipping Association and the Emirates Shipping Association strengthens ties between the two leading maritime economies.
• The maritime sector is responsible for 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions and is actively seeking green solutions.
• AI is enhancing efficiency across all aspects of port operations.
• The IMO’s 2050 target of 70% carbon emissions reduction is ambitious and, even if 100% of new ships were carbon-neutral from today (assuming linear growth in newbuild propulsion power), significant retrofitting of the existing fleet would still be necessary to meet this goal.

The event concluded with the delegates receiving Certificates of Recognition, presented by l Anders Østergaard, Secretary General of ESA. As MLP24 draws to a close, discussions began about MLP25, promising an even bigger event next year.

Thank you to all our delegates and participants who made this event a success!