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Dubai Announces New Maritime Arbitration Centre By Eryn Correa (Dubai) In September 2014, the Emirates Maritime Arbitration Centre (EMAC) was opened under the guidance of the Crown Prince of Dubai, H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, in conjunction with the Dubai Maritime City Authority (DMCA), the government authority charged with regulating Dubai’s maritime activity. This is a significant development because it pres- ents a potential new avenue specifically for dealing with maritime disputes in the Middle East; however, at this juncture, it is unclear how EMAC will practically function and, thus, whether it will inspire the kind of investment in Dubai’s marine sector as DMCA hopes. EMAC has been established to address and resolve maritime dis- putes. According to DMCA, these issues will include such matters as affreightment, cargo shipping, shipbuilding, repair contracts, used ship sale contracts, insurance and reinsurance contracts, and marine collisions, in addition to disputes regarding marine loss adjusting, maritime assistance, and rescue. DMCA envisions that EMAC will eventually expand to cover disputes throughout the Middle East region. However, little has been said about what will set EMAC apart from other international arbitration centres in Dubai. DMCA has promised that EMAC’s rules and regulations will be “based on legal frame- works and set maritime regulatory guidelines and standards”, yet no concrete rules have been forthcoming. Furthermore, there remains additional speculation as to the location of EMAC and whether it will be established within the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) free-zone. The choice of seat will have significant implications as to whether UAE Federal Arbitration law or DIFC arbitration law (based on the UNCITRAL Model Law) applies. 83