AD Maritime
Thomas Macdonald
The third edition of the Awards celebrated marina excellence across the MENAT region
2025 marked the introduction of artificial intelligence as a supportive tool in the Awards submissions and assessment processes
Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler’s Representative in the Al Dhafra Region; in the presence of Sheikh Rashid bin Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Sheikh Ahmed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan, President of the UAE Sailing and Rowing Federation; and in collaboration with the Integrated Transport Centre (ITC), an affiliate of the Abu Dhabi Department of Municipalities and Transport; Abu Dhabi Maritime – part of AD Ports Group (ADX: ADPORTS) – announced the winners of the 2025 Abu Dhabi Maritime Awards in a ceremony during the Abu Dhabi International Boat Show on 20 November.
The Awards aim to bring recognition to the vibrant marina industry across the Middle East, North Africa, and Türkiye (MENAT region), and to set new benchmarks for excellence in marina management and operations.
The Awards third edition expanded their scope to recognise outstanding organisation-wide, individual, and project-based achievements or performance.
The ceremony honoured 22 winners across the following award categories:
Organisation-Based Awards
Outstanding Marina Award
Gold: Dubai Harbour - UAE
Silver: D-Marin Didim - Türkiye
Outstanding Emerging Marina Award:
Gold: D-Marin Marsa Al Arab - UAE
Silver: Emirates Palace Marina - UAE
Customer Experience Award:
Gold: D-Marin Didim - Türkiye
Silver: D-Marin Göcek - Türkiye
Employer Excellence Award:
Gold: Palm Jumeirah Marina - UAE
Silver: Bulgari Marina - UAE
Health & Safety Award:
Gold: Emirates Palace Marina - UAE
Silver: D-Marin Turgutreis - Türkiye
Innovation Award:
Gold: D-Marin Göcek - Türkiye
Silver: Palm Jumeirah Marina - UAE
Sustainability Award:
Gold: D-Marin Turgutreis - Türkiye
Silver: The Pearl Island Marina - Qatar
Individual-Based Awards
Outstanding Leader Award:
Gold: Wayne Shepherd – Dubai Harbour
Silver: Adel Maani – Ayla Marina
Outstanding Service Hero Award:
Gold: Sara Abdelaziz – Aldar Marinas
Silver: Charles Mayanja – Emirates Palace Marina
Rising Star Award:
Gold: Hassan Ahmad – Jeddah Yacht Club
Silver: Sherzodbek Ganiev – Palm Jumeirah Marina
Project-Based Awards
Sustainability Project Award: Dubai Islands Marina
Innovation Project Award: Dubai Harbour
Finally, the Most Popular Marina special recognition, selected by public vote, went to: The Pearl Island Marina.
As in previous editions, submissions to the Abu Dhabi Maritime Awards first underwent analysis by teams of qualified assessors, who scored each entry according to the criteria specific to each award category.
Assessors submitted their findings to the Awards jury members, who weighed assessors’ input as part of their deliberations, but also conducted their own qualitative examination of each entry before deciding award winners.
The fourth edition of the Awards is scheduled to take place in fall 2026.