Dubai retained its standing as the leading maritime city in the Middle East and ranked 12th worldwide, while Abu Dhabi entered the global top 15 for the first time by climbing to 15th place from 22nd in the previous edition, according to the 'Leading Maritime Cities 2026' study published by DNV and Menon Economics and reported by Atalayar.
The biennial study evaluated 50 maritime capitals across five core pillars: maritime transport, maritime finance and law, maritime technology, ports and logistics, and attractiveness and competitiveness. Findings combined industry data with evaluations from 208 international maritime experts. The top 10 maritime cities ranked in the report were Singapore, Shanghai, London, Rotterdam, Tokyo, Oslo, Busan, New York, Hamburg, and Copenhagen.
In the report's newly introduced maritime resilience assessment, Dubai ranked fifth globally, trailing only Singapore, Rotterdam, Shanghai, and London. Atalayar noted that the report cited connectivity between ports, free zones, motorways, and rail links as factors that minimised regional shipping and geopolitical disruptions. Industry experts also ranked Dubai second globally for relocating maritime headquarters and third for anticipated sector leadership over the next five years.
Abu Dhabi's climb into 15th place reflected gains across all five evaluated categories. The study highlighted ongoing investments across the emirate in maritime infrastructure, regulatory framework development, public maritime services, and digital transformation.
Sources
- Atalayar · 2026-11-14
