DP World has signed a memorandum of understanding with Trakhees, the regulatory arm of Dubai’s Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation, to enforce the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships.

From January 1, 2017, all reception facilities at Jebel Ali Port that handle vessels will be required to obtain certification under the International Maritime Organization’s MARPOL protocol.

“DP World UAE Region is committed to minimising the environmental impact of its business activities in order to bring sustainability into every aspect of our work,” said Mohammed Al Muallem, senior vice president and managing director of DP World for the UAE region [right in photo]. “We have an active pollution monitoring and control system at our flagship port and strongly believe this MoU with Trakhees will further strengthen our resolve to implement the IMO’s MARPOL regulations to ensure all service providers at our port conform to these international standards.”

Inspections will be conducted by Trakhees-PCFC officials to minimize and prevent the discharge of oil and other noxious liquid substances, whether accidentally or during routine operations.

“Trakhees-PCFC is responsible for environmental safety at DP World UAE Region facilities and enforcing the IMO-MARPOL protocol will take our involvement to an enhanced level,” said Arif Obaid Al Dehail, CEO of Trakhees-PCFC [left in photo]. “We thank DP World UAE Region for the high level of cooperation with our teams and look forward to raising the bar for pollution prevention and control in Dubai through the IMO-MARPOL initiative.”