KUALA LUMPUR, 1 DECEMBER 2025 (MONDAY) - The Export Acceleration Mission on Maritime Industry to Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) recently concluded with resounding success, garnering a total of RM404.17 million (USD94.83 million) in export sales, significantly surpassing the initial target of RM200 million. This high-impact trade mission, led by the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) aims to forge a strategic business network focusing on Malaysia’s maritime sector. This impressive result highlights the growing competitiveness and strategic importance of Malaysian expertise in the global maritime domain.
The four-day mission, held from 3 to 6 November 2025, mobilised a strong delegation of 10 leading Malaysian maritime players across diverse sub-sectors, including Shipbuilding & Ship Repair (SBSR), marine engineering, ship design, port services and essential offshore support services. The programme included high-impact business-to-business (B2B) meetings and industrial visits designed to facilitate direct engagement between prominent Malaysian maritime industry players and decision-makers within the UAE’s maritime ecosystem. This effort was strategically timed to leverage the market access and business facilitation frameworks provided by the recently sealed Malaysia-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (MY-UAE CEPA), ensuring both immediate and long-term bilateral trade strength.
The success of this mission is a testament to the strong alignment between Malaysia’s deep expertise in areas like Offshore Support Vessels (OSVs) and the UAE’s rapidly expanding port and offshore industries. It marks a critical step toward Malaysia’s ambition to become the primary maritime service hub for the Maritime Silk Route to the Middle East region. Malaysian shipyards offer world-class, cost competitive technical expertise and that partnering with the UAE will strengthen their shared regional maritime supply.
Reaffirming this sentiment, the Association of Marine Industries Malaysia (AMIM) asserted that Malaysia’s Ship Building and Ship Repair (SBSR) industry combines skill, innovation, and reliability, ready to serve global partners with world-class quality and commitment. The Malaysian maritime industry has a proven competitive advantage due to its proximity to major regional oil and gas operations and an impressive track record, having successfully delivered approximately 300 OSVs worldwide since 2005. This demonstrates profound expertise in complex construction and positions Malaysia as a reliable destination for investment and collaboration with the UAE’S energy and maritime giants.
In 2024, Malaysia’s maritime exports to UAE was recorded at RM45.9 million with the top 3 exports comprising tugboat and pusher craft, cruise and cargo ships, and light vessels. Concurrently, Malaysia’s maritime exports to the world was recorded at RM1.97 billion in 2024, a significant increase of 109.7% as compared to 2023, signifying global confidence and strong demand for Malaysia's maritime products and services.