Photo by Rajan Vadakkemuriyil/ The Peninsula
Over 200 companies from nearly 20 countries will showcase the latest innovations in the maritime and naval sphere at the seventh edition of the Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference (DIMDEX).
DIMDEX 2022 visitors will get a chance to get up close with an array of warships from navies around the world while DIMDEX 2018 featured only nine warships from seven countries. The organising committee expects to have 15-20 warships in the upcoming edition.
The event will take place from March 21 to 23, 2022 at the Qatar National Convention Center (QNCC) under the theme ‘Connecting the World’s Maritime Defence and Security Community.’
DIMDEX, which has grown both in scope and size over the years since the inaugural edition in 2008, will have a larger exhibition space this edition. On an area landscaped over 35,000sqm, exhibitors will showcase their products and capabilities, in addition to networking with key decision makers from Qatar and other countries.
Speaking yesterday at a press conference at Sharq Village and Spa, Staff Brigadier (Sea) Abdulbaqi S Al Ansari, Chairman of DIMDEX, said: “It is indeed an honour to receive Ambassadors, defence and commercial attachés, and representatives from the military at today’s briefing.”
“The unstinting support we received strengthens our determination to organise an edition that will be bigger and better than previous editions. We can feel the anticipation building up as we enter the last leg of preparations for DIMDEX 2022. The Organising Committee will leave nothing to chance and will work hard to ensure a smooth, safe and successful edition,” he said.
For his part, Dr. Andreas Krieg, MENC Conference Director, said: “The Middle East Naval Commanders Conference (MENC) is an integral part of DIMDEX 2022 and brings together a diverse group of world-leading experts in maritime security to better understand how to develop resilience in the maritime domain.”
He added: “As the centre of gravity for security in the Gulf, it is important that the various challenges to actors in the maritime domain are well understood and where possible mitigated.
MENC 2022 will address these challenges in an effort to achieve a higher degree of resilience of critical maritime infrastructure and waterways around the Arabian Gulf and connected waterways.”
The Middle East Naval Commanders Conference (MENC), which will take place on the second day of the three-day event, is one of the most popular features of DIMDEX. At the briefing, participants were provided details of the event, including the conference theme - “Resilience in the Maritime Domain – Confronting Asymmetric Threats”- and information about the keynote speakers.
Through successive editions, DIMDEX has earned a reputation for facilitating major commercial success and providing unparalleled opportunities for knowledge sharing at the highest levels of industry and government.
The event has played a major role not only in the growth of Qatar’s military capabilities but also in speeding up the growth of the country’s domestic defence industry. Agreements worth over USD 32 billion have been signed since the inaugural edition. In the 2018 edition alone, 35 partnerships were announced, with 27 agreements signed at the event itself.
