Under the Patronage of Hamdan bin Zayed 2025 Abu Dhabi Maritime Awards Winners Set New Standards for the Marina Industry

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.