Among its various plans to contribute to a sustainable future for the next generation, Global Maritime Consultants Group GMCG is set to scale up its global network of concise and effective solutions servicing maritime and offshore industries.
In a special interview, Ranim Obeid, Managing Director at GMCG ME, Romania and Turkey, talks about the company’s specialties, short term plans, and lookouts on the Middle East maritime market, with a keen motive to give clients an unrivalled personalized, round the clock services.
Could you give us a glimpse about the company’s services?
As one of the largest providers of maritime and offshore services, Global Maritime Consultants Group (GMCG) boasts more than three decades of experience in facilitating operations of what is a vast and complex network that we colloquially call the maritime and offshore industry. GMCG offers a plethora of consultancy services related to the legal, technical, training, and management aspects of our shared maritime ecosystem. Nevertheless, the company goes beyond its general description, it is more than that: GMCG has, in time, become synonymous with proactive and strong relationships with more than 3500 clients in 88 countries, offering a full spectrum of maritime and offshore services globally for shipbuilders, owners, agents, seafarers, offshore operators, bankers, underwriters, and lawyers.
I am also proud to say that GMCG’s positive and proactive approach toward external partners, is an outcome, a “radiating out” of our company’s inner workings: our positive change comes first within, in our relationships with employees, in our engagement with the social issues of our time like climate change, in our interactive and empathetic communication with one another, and our effective approach toward gender equality.
In fact, GMCG boasts 17 offices in 15 countries, which translates to more than 150 employees. Furthermore, almost 50% of our management team is composed of women, and our carbon footprint is down by 35% in the past two years. We are at that mature point where a company establishes a global presence and works hard to do good for its vast network of clients, while at the same time acting toward a responsible and sustainable future for everyone.
What can you tell us about your participation and sponsoring of the Robban Assafina Maritime Awards Night 2023?
Robban Assafina’s maritime approach and vision have been described to be “progressive and synergistic”. I think that is a very accurate description, and I would add that the Robban Assafina Maritime Awards Night is a celebration of those same approaches and visions, which we at GMCG, and I personally, deeply share. It is indeed a celebration of the best and the brightest in the maritime industry.
This Awards Night is not only a fantastic way to connect with others in our ecosystem, share experiences, and develop new insights but also an opportunity to inspire and get inspired toward doing better. It is perhaps this last factor that empowers me to bring about, in this Awards Night, a positive message of hope and inspiration for those young women who want to enter the maritime and offshore sectors.
I remember myself as a young lady who decided to make a career in what was – and still is – a physically and structurally challenging maritime ecosystem. This is why I do, and will continue to do everything I can to inspire young women to join and immerse themselves in what is a beautiful, even when tumultuous, vast sea that is our industry.
I do everything I can to facilitate their integration while promoting gender equality and inclusivity at our company. As a fellow mentor, I have witnessed many of these strong and brilliant women achieve managerial roles, lead important projects, and make significant contributions to the maritime industry. Seeing the impact that my mentorship has had on their lives and careers has been incredibly rewarding for me, and it motivates me to go forward.
Many young women that I have mentored, have inspired and empowered me with their leading by example. This is why I want to make this Robban Assafina Maritime Awards Night about them: to give back some of that inspiration and to invite many younger women to join our maritime ecosystem and achieve excellence. My participation and sponsoring to this year’s edition is all about them, as a thank you and a warm invitation.
How do you evaluate the maritime market in the Middle East region?
The maritime market in the Middle East is fast-growing and dynamic, not only because of its geographic position and resources – but also because of the accumulative years of experience of the stakeholders operating within the shipping and logistics sectors.
Without this shared knowledge, experience, and proactive networks between stakeholders, the coastline access to the Arabian Sea, the Persian Gulf, and the Red Sea would mean little. The strategic position as a transit point for goods and commodities being transported between three continents would mean even less.
The understanding of this fact has given rise to serious and responsible companies like GMCG, with the maritime and offshore services sector becoming more and more important during the last two decades.
Numbers don’t lie, and they tell us this same story, which we should read carefully and responsibly: According to a UNCTAD report, “the Middle East’s share of the world’s container port throughput increased from 4.4% in 2008 to 7.6% in 2019.”
The same report highlights that the region’s ports have been among the fastest-growing in the world, with average annual growth of 4.6% between 2008 and 2019. If we continue to sustainably increase synergies between the geographic, resources, and services sectors, the region will become “Worldwide Player Number One” in the next 5 to 7 years.
To go further with my projections for the next decade, we also have to take into consideration several emerging factors. One of them is demographic: the region’s population is increasing, and the internal movements toward urban areas are accelerating.
At the same time, many Middle Eastern governments are pledging a lot of investment in the maritime industry. A great example is Saudi Arabia’s “Vision 2030”, which in my understanding is a sustainable and steady diversification, to make the economy less reliant on oil through investment in ports, facilities, railways, etc. These components will offer a great opportunity to increase investments in the Middle Eastern maritime sector if channeled properly and through sustainable long-term strategies. Among other things, this means that more opportunities will bring about more international competition.
It is exactly at that stage that the various actors in the maritime industry will have to be cautious not to exert unnecessary regulatory pressure toward government agencies and institutions, which is highly likely to happen. This is what I mean by strategic thinking: a view toward the Middle Eastern region’s development through technology, investment, competition and long-term responsible thinking.
Any plans for further expansion in this market?
Most certainly. We already see highly-important opportunities to scale up further in the Middle East market. We have the right experience, a solid and proactive network in the region, and the right expertise to support with top-standard, 360-degree maritime services.
At the same time, we recognize that expansion must be done in a responsible and sustainable manner. We are committed to upholding the highest standards of safety and environmental responsibility, and we are investing in new technologies and solutions that enable us to operate in a more sustainable and responsible way.
What we do within our organization – sustainable environmentalism, reduction of the carbon footprint, responsible development, diversity, inclusion, and equality – those same principles will guide our next, deeper dive into the Middle Eastern maritime services market.
What is the company’s short-term plan throughout the coming five years?
Over the next five years, GMCG has several ambitions, but highly achievable, priorities. Our main vision is to scale up our global network of concise and effective solutions servicing maritime and offshore industries.
We aim to solidify our position as a recognized partner in the industry, which means being the best in engineering, the largest in tonnage, diversified in different markets, and supported by solid compliance experts. Our responsible ambitions cover digitalization, renewable energies, social impact, gender equality, a blue economy, and security.
We are and will be doing what we can, to contribute through our values and expertise in the maritime and offshore services sector, toward an ideal, holistic future where the world recognizes and offers the highest safety standards, renewable energies are sustainable and highly used, international trade is uninterrupted, smart decisions are made on real-time data, and education has no borders. We will give our contribution, as modest as it may be, toward a bright, sustainable future for the next generation.
Robban Assafina Magazine, Issue 85, May/June 2023, Maritime Host, pg. 87
