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has developed into a strong player in the transport division of the UAE With around 20 container line services it has grown to support the local market by connecting the Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi KIZAD not only with the wider UAE but also the world markets with more than 40 international destinations The old port of Abu Dhabi Al Mina in contrast has been remodelled into a cruise ship terminal concentrating on the tourism aspect in order to diversify the economy In total the UAE has 15 large commercial ports that mainly export oil and gas but also raw materials and finished goods Apart from Dubai s Jebel Ali Port Port Rashid and the Dubai Creek two vital players in the maritime transport sector are currently undergoing reconstruction Sharjah is home to some of the most important ports in the UAE Throughout the recent past the focus has been on increasing the berths in all three ports which so far have 33 berths and can handle in excess of 10 million tons of bulk and general cargo Thanks to Sharjah s strategic location with access to both coasts of the UAE its ports are quoted as the leading trade gateway to the UAE Similar to Sharjah Fujairah also enjoys a tactically convenient location being situated on the coast of the Gulf of Oman However due to tensions and land disputes between the UAE and Iran the UAE is trying to turn away the dependence of its maritime transport on the Strait of Hormuz in case of a closure of the sea lane by building pipelines from Abu Dhabi to Fujairah By concentrating on maritime transport the UAE is coming closer to their goal of decreasing their dependence on the oil industry This so called diversification is considered a development cornerstone by all oil producing countries The preparation for the post oil era is carried out through diversifying the income sources by focusing on the non oil sector Firstly through investing heavily in infrastructure aiming to bring more businesses to the UAE and secondly adjusting the economic diversification to the economic and demographic capacities increasing foreign trade demands and transforming the UAE into a hub for instance for transport and logistics Recently awarded projects such as the EXPO 2020 are also part of the diversification of the industry The long term sought after impact is to present a different side of the Middle East and for the UAE in particular to expand its manufacturing sector and other services including tourism alongside the fruitful oil and gas industry Thanks to forward thinking and planning ahead of time the UAE is no longer solely reliant on oil and gas revenues as a mere 30 of the country s GDP comes from the oil sector As Abu Dhabi still has more oil reserves than Dubai it is lagging behind in terms of diversifying the non oil sector The initiative Abu Dhabi Vision 2030 therefore serves as a means to move away from the industry with the expected aim of an 80 non oil GDP contribution by 2030 All in all the current developments seem promising for the economy of the UAE and indicate further progress in the future n FOCUSFOCUS wiebke Arnold German Emirati Joint Council for Industry and Commerce AHK Dubai