Dubai Maritime City (DMC)

Dubai Maritime City (DMC) is a multipurpose maritime zone in the United Arab Emirates dedicated to the international maritime community¹. The project’s vision is ‘to develop and operate the world’s best maritime center’². Specifically, DMC offers maritime facilities and services including leasing maritime industrial units, ship-lifting and berthing operations, customized business solutions, and commercial and freehold plots as high-end waterfront real estate³. The project aims to foster the growth and development of Dubai’s maritime industry, reinforcing its status as a global maritime center aligned with the Dubai Maritime Vision 2030^{4 i}. The goal is to create a dynamic urban lifestyle and working infrastructure for maritime community⁵.

DMC is located ​on a peninsula built on a reclaimed land between Port Rashid and Dubai Dry Docks, and covers over 2.27 square kilometer⁶. Its strategic position in the heart of Dubai, with easy access to the sea, Dubai International airport, and public transportation nodes enhances its role as a central hub for maritime activities⁷. DMC’s masterplan encompasses two parts, a commercial district and an industrial district⁸:

• The industrial district acts as a hub for ship repair facilities, yacht manufacturing, and workshop units. It includes a 1,270 meter stretch of wet berths and 42 dry berths to accommodate vessels. Additionally, there are 19 ship repair plots, and two ship lifts to facilitate maintenance and repair operations⁹. The district contains around 133,000 square meters of leasable workshop, in addition to showrooms, small retail spaces, and warehouses¹⁰. Moreover, the industrial district houses an Academic Quarter for marine engineering and naval science programs aligned with the project’s vision. Currently, over 280 business are registered and operating within the Dubai Maritime City¹¹.
• The commercial district is essentially freehold land available for sale, reserved for the development of real estate residential and commercial properties. The commercial district includes a promenade on a stretch of 3.5 kilometers, business towers, residential buildings, and community amenities such as mosques, RTA bus stations, RTA marine stations, police operational centers, ambulance services, and community parks among others.
• A leisure zone includes a museum and a marina offering berthing for yachts¹².

The city emphasizes sustainability, smart services, and urban competitiveness¹³. To enhance efficiency, Artificial Intelligence (AI) infrastructure is used for surveying the storm water survey, as well as for the assessment of the industrial district¹⁴.

The project was initiated by Emirati multinational logistics provider DB Worldⁱⁱ in 2003, in alignment with the vision of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai¹⁵.It is managed by the Dubai Maritime City L.L.C. ¹⁶, with KEO International Consultants as the primary consultant since 2017 ¹⁷. As the primary land and infrastructure developer, DMC is responsible for the construction and maintenance of the infrastructure including all the amenities of the area¹⁸, the entertainment zones, and recreational areas. The residential buildings are being built by sub developers such as Deyaar Development PJSC, Vakson Group Limited, Damac Development PJSC, and others.

The project has faced delays because of COVID-19 pandemic but has seen renewed progress with infrastructure upgrades and construction of various components¹⁹. Phases consist of the following components:

• The Industrial district is completed. This includes pre-built warehouses, workshops, shops, showrooms among others. The industrial part of DMC is fully operational²⁰ .
• The commercial zone is still under development.
• 80% of the construction of the AED140 million ($38.1 million) road and infrastructure works of the first phase have been implemented, and since 2021, more than 90 % of underground utilities such as sewerage and stormwater, water, fire, irrigation, and telecom networks have been completed²¹.
• A 3.5 km waterfront promenade in the commercial district and the 7 kilometer of road works have also been completed²².
• 86% of land of the commercial district is already completed and sales processes and development on projects has begun²³. As of 2023, only one 48-storey residential tower, Anwa Towerⁱⁱⁱ, and a mosque are complete²⁴. Recently, Dubai-based company, Deyaar Development, announced the launch of a US$299.5 million seafront project titled Mar Casa^{25 iv}.