Omar Abu Omar, president of maritime and operations at the Dubai-based Gulf Navigation Holding, was recently awarded The Maritime Standard Excellence Award at the annual Maritime Standard Awards.
The award recognises his outstanding achievements in the maritime sector, said the company statement. The awards are among the most prestigious worldwide that celebrate and reward excellent organisations and individuals in the maritime sector.
Omar has unique maritime capabilities, combining technical and engineering expertise with management experience in operations, business development, and development of resources, further said the statement. In terms of technical and engineering expertise, he participated in the development of the Sahara Notation for vessels operating in warm waters, and contributed to the promotion and implementation of Gulf safety and security standards for ships that are not bound by international conventions. He also played a key role in implementing the UAE Yacht Code, the first of its kind in the world for luxurious and pleasure boats.
Omar is a member of the UAE Maritime Law Development Technical Committee. He played an active role in establishing the Emirates Classification Society (Tasneef), which is the first Arab classification society. He was also the area manager for Det Norske Veritas (DNV) in the Middle East and India. He has developed and supervised the building of major offshore projects for ship owners in the Middle East and India.
Commenting on the award, Omar said: The recognition and awards that I receive are the result of the joint efforts of all individuals and work teams. These include administrators, engineers, and captains who I worked with throughout my career, which started in Palestine, my birthplace; to Norway where I completed my higher education and started my professional career in the maritime sector, and the UAE where I moved in 2005. Dubai and the UAE have opened up vast horizons for me to contribute to the development of the maritime sector. On this occasion, I would like to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to the leadership and people of the UAE.”
He added: Throughout my long career in different locations and across various marine-service organisations in many countries around the world, my experience with Gulf Navigation Holding has been a special chapter in my professional and managerial career path. I have been lucky to work with such an excellent leadership team. Together, we have achieved exceptional success in marine services.”
