Fujairah Going Green

The Fujairah Municipality has been making a concerted effort to remove paving stones in the middle of streets and replace them with grass.

This requires large quantities of water but planting significant areas of green grass is part of a plan to beautify the community.

One of the advantages of this move is seen in the way these grassy areas are increasingly being used by groups of people for sitting and relaxing in the cool of the evening.

Date palms and green lawn lined with flowers along Al Ittihad Road in Al Ittihad.

Grassy areas are easy on the eyes and soft on the feet down King Faisal Road, Faseel.

Newly planted grass on the roundabout that links Old Fujairah and Al Owaid.

Geoff Pound

Connect with Geoff Pound on Facebook, Twitter or at geoffpound(at)gmail.com

Vote for Your Team in the FIFA World Cup Poll

The population of Fujairah and the UAE is comprised of people from heaps of different nationalities.

A few of those nations are not football playing countries and several more are footy crazy but their team sadly did not qualify to compete in South Africa at the 19th FIFA World Cup.

Fujairah in Focus has created a FIFA World Cup Poll (to the right of this site).

Put your hand on your heart and select your answer to the question:

Which team are you supporting in the FIFA World Cup?

This isn’t a question about who you think will win but the competing country you will be supporting, perhaps until they get kicked out and you transfer your allegiance to another team!

One vote please!

Feel free to share this poll via the means provided at the bottom of the poll.

Geoff Pound

Connect with Geoff Pound on Facebook, Twitter or at geoffpound(at)gmail.com

REDAA Collection at Fujairah Fashion Exhibition

The REDAA label by designer Amal Murad was displayed to an appreciative audience on the opening night of the inaugural Fujairah Fashion Exhibition held at the Tennis and Country Club, 19-21 May 2010.
Amal Murad founded REDAA Fashion in 2005 and entered the global brand of abayas in her first show in 2006.
‘Redaa’ is the Arabic word for decency in clothing and this concept provides the focus for the garments.
The REDAA brand produces garments that maintain traditional elements presented with decency, elegance, creativity and style.
Murad believes that an abaya must be practical and offer freedom to the wearer but she is eager to show that the traditional garment can be trendy, modern and stylish.
As the REDAA garments combine traditional features and contemporary trends, Murad asserts that the abaya is not a garment to hide behind but, on the contrary, a means for expressing cultural values with contemporary flair.
Orders for REDAA abayas come mainly from Gulf countries but also from France and the United Kingdom. The clientele includes women of all ages with a significant interest being shown by those from western cultures.
While women’s abayas form the essence of the REDAA label, Murad is developing classical and sporty collections of men’s kandooras (dishdashas).
Further
Amal Murad Abayas at Fujairah Fashion Style 2010, Fujairah in Focus (Part 1)
Dancers Star at Fujairah Fashion Launch, Fujairah in Focus.
Fashion Show to Attract the Crème de la Crème of Fujairah, Fujairah in Focus.
Fujairah’s First Fashion Exhibition, Fujairah in Focus.

Geoff Pound

Connect with Geoff Pound on Facebook, Twitter or at geoffpound(at)gmail.com

Images
Models display the REDAA garments designed by Amal Murad to the Fujairah audience.

Credit
Thanks to Alan Nambiar for all photos displayed in this article.

Acknowledgement
Information in this article is drawn from the web pages of Amal Murad as well as from a host of interviews in the public sphere.

Amal Murad Abayas at Fujairah Fashion Style 2010

REDAA in Fujairah
* Amal Murad and her REDAA abaya range were first on the catwalk during opening night (14 May 2010) in Fujairah’s inaugural Fashion Exhibition at the Tennis and Country Club.

* As Fujairah is seeking to develop as a centre for art and culture, designer Amal Murad is keen to contribute to this development and she is constantly looking for ways to boost the fashion industry in the Emirates.

Inspiration
* Amal acknowledges the formative influence of her artistic family in encouraging her to explore her talents.

* Her father’s flair as an artist opened Amal to the vital contribution of beauty to society. She continues to be inspired by the beauty in art, nature and her Emirati tradition.

* Her mother who has regularly sewn was Amal’s first inspiration and when as a young girl she used her mother’s off-cuts to design and make clothes for her dolls, her talent turned into art.

* Designers like Yves Saint Laurent inspired Amal’s appreciation of colours and style.

* Amal works from home where in addition to responsibilities as a business woman, she is wife and mother to her four children.

REDAA Range in Fujairah—Part 1—(Link to Part 2)

Further
REDAA Collection at Fujairah Fashion Exhibition, Fujairah in Focus.(Part 2)
Dancers Star at Fujairah Fashion Launch, Fujairah in Focus.
Fashion Show to Attract the Crème de la Crème of Fujairah, Fujairah in Focus.
Fujairah’s First Fashion Exhibition, Fujairah in Focus.

Geoff Pound

Connect with Geoff Pound on Facebook, Twitter or at geoffpound(at)gmail.com

Opening Image
Amal Murad walks the Fujairah catwalk to the applause of her models and the appreciative audience.

Credit
Thanks to Alan Nambiar for all photos displayed in this article.

Acknowledgement
Information in this article is drawn from the web pages of Amal Murad as well as from a host of interviews in the public sphere.

Dancers Star at Fujairah Fashion Launch

Young ballerinas from Fujairah’s Ballet Group had the honour of dancing at Fujairah’s inaugural Fashion Exhibition over the three days, 19-21 May 2010.

Style 2010 was held at the Fujairah Tennis and Country Club under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Sara Bint Hamad Al Sharqi.

This exhibition was a spring board to develop the fashion culture in Fujairah with the hope that it would become a regular fixture at which the latest fashion trends may be showcased.

The annual event will gradually pick up speed, recognition and sponsorship in an effort to attract top designers and buyers from the Emirates and the region.

The core of the programme was the fashion segments which featured the labels, Redda, JYK, MIMI Fashion, Babyshop, Banan Suliman, Shrekanth and Bisma Ahmed.

Other attractions included make up demos, raffles, skin care clinics presented by Areel and Kaya, speeches and a segment by a major sponsor, Le Méridien.
The many activities over the three days required good comperes to keep the show on track.
The Fujairah Tennis and Country Club created a festive atmosphere and set up the catwalk to enable members of the audience to get close to the action.
Men as well as women enjoyed the activities and the fashion.
The three day event gave plenty of scope for networking for people from Dubai as well as Fujairah’s crème de la crème.

Models came from all over the Emirates to show off the UAE style of 2010 and it was the homegrown troupe of Fujairah ballerinas that set the stage alight for the opening night.

Geoff Pound

Connect with Geoff Pound on Facebook, Twitter or at geoffpound(at)gmail.com

Images: All photos taken by UAE photographer, Alan Nambiar who described himself in an article as “A professional but still on a photographic journey searching for ‘the elusive shot.’”

Video Calls to Reduce UAE’s Ecological Footprint

Numerous articles have mentioned that the UAE has the largest ecological footprint in the world which is one world record that it is not proud to own.

A new video explains the ‘ecological footprint’ and spells out the catastrophic damage that would occur if all citizens of the earth used power, consumed products and dealt with their waste in the manner of the Emirates.

The ad recognizes the responsibility of individuals and households and the potential they have in making practical choices in such things as what they buy and how they travel.

Thanks to the Emirates Wildlife Society for creating this ad in English to get the UAE talking. Hopefully it will soon come with soundtracks in Arabic, Urdu and Malayalam.

The project took 150 hours of set building, 300 newspapers and is comprised of 2,500 stills.

The production involved 50 hours of meeting in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and London in which time the creators consumed 400+ cups of coffee.

Watch the UAE Ecological Footprint



Further
How Happy are People in the UAE? ETE.
Chill Out on Versace Hotel Refrigerated Beach in Dubai, ETE.
Gulf States Asked for Petrodollars but Better if they also Give Green Energy Example, ETE.
Fujairah’s New Recycling Facility Turns Oman’s Waste into Wealth but can it be done in the Emirates? ETE.
Fujairah Women’s College Takes the Environmental Lead, FIF.
UAE Must Improve Environmental Record to Win Olympic Games, ETE.
UAE at the Environmental Crossroads, ETE.
Masdar Model City is Environmental Extravagance, ETE.

Geoff Pound

Connect with Geoff Pound on Facebook, Twitter or at geoffpound(at)gmail.com

Image: Animation of a petrol-guzzling Hummer against a UAE city skyline.

Balancing Environmental, Health and Economic Interests in Fujairah

Fujairah is the region’s ‘bread basket’ for construction projects in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and it exports significant quantities of gabbro rock to Gulf countries and further afield. As rocks build Fujairah’s economy, some independent studies to assess the environmental damage and health risks would reassure residents that their wellbeing is not being sacrificed on the altar of progress.

Rocks Around the Clock
Before trucks were diverted from the main road between Fujairah and Dubai, motorists were constantly reminded of the scale of the quarry operation by the endless transportation of rocks from Fujairah’s mountains to the UAE’s major cities.

The construction of the ‘banana’ or ‘Banana Island’ with its rock port is further testimony to Fujairah’s growing export industry in mountain materials.

While this growth takes place there is no doubt that the companies overseeing the quarry operations in Fujairah are professional, efficient and attentive to issues of safety.

Environmental Risks
While Fujairah has moved towards nature tourism led by the preservation activity at Wadi Wuruyah, the environmental risks are great with the exploding of mountains and the quarrying activities that provide the bedrock for the emirate’s economy. Rock extraction has the potential to endanger the Fujairah brand with its nature and heritage tourism. This can be, according to The National, the “sickly side of the quarrying boom.”

Balancing Economy and Environment
From time to time protests have been staged in the UAE about the encroachment of quarries near towns, the noise pollution from the blasting and the damage to properties through extreme movement.

The environmental impact of quarrying in the UAE was brought to a head in 2008 when the Federal National Council tabled a report which included specific recommendation to close quarries and crushers adjacent to housing communities and to address the dust and noise pollution from quarries and crushers.

Federal and Fujairah Action
Federal laws were passed in 2008 to control and safeguard the environment against inappropriate quarrying and a process was instigated to evaluate old quarries. Local teams, which included the Crown Prince of Fujairah, were seen making an inspection on behalf of the local administration.

By mid-2009 Fujairah leadership was cracking down on hazardous operations resulting in seven quarries being closed, the equivalent of 10% of the total number of quarries in the emirate of Fujairah.

Independent Evaluation Needed
Since this time little detail has been made available about the thoroughness of the quarry evaluation, the way environmental damage by quarrying is assessed and the impact of the industry on the destruction of flora, fauna and areas of archaeological significance. These evaluations must be undertaken independent of those who have a stake in the economic benefits of the rock industries.

While citizens complain of sore eyes and throats and some doctors claim that Fujairah is a hazardous place to live for those with respiratory illnesses, it would be reassuring to all residents if regular independent studies were undertaken to assess the health risks caused by quarry dust and noise pollution.

Further
See the Biggest Land Reclamation Project in the Emirates, Fujairah in Focus, 24 May 2010.
Fujairah Rocks! Fujairah in Focus, 24 May 2010.

Geoff Pound

Connect with Geoff Pound on Facebook, Twitter or at geoffpound(at)gmail.com

Fujairah Rocks!

What comes into your mind when you hear the word ‘Fujairah’?

Bull butting?
Oldest mosque?
Wadi Wuruyah?
Friday Market?
Traditional boats?
Oil industry?
Heritage Sites?
Sun and scenery?
Fashion?
Fishing?
Tourist Souk?
Gulf Flower Bakery?
Other?

Fujairah rocks in all these ways and more.

Hard Rocks
People are increasingly thinking of rocks of the hard variety when they hear the word ‘Fujairah’.

The Fujairah Bulk Shipping LLC is responsible for much of the quarrying of rocks in the emirate.

Land Reclamation
Their first video looks at a huge operation in getting rocks from the Hajar Mountains that are being used to fill the largest cavity in the UAE—soon to be used for the ever-expanding oil business north of the Fujairah Port.

Rock Export
This second video (below) focuses on the process of blasting, crushing, grading, stockpiling and exporting gabbro aggregate for Qatar, Bahrain and other neighbouring countries in the Gulf.

One gets some sensational views of the Fujairah Bulk Marine Terminal on the ‘Banana Island’ out from the Fujairah corniche.

The video tracks the growth of the Fujairah Bulk Shipping LLC from its establishment in 2006 to its 600+ work force in 2010.

This is a promotional movie but it gives insights into a major industry in Fujairah and offers views of areas where for reasons of safety the public would not be allowed to venture.



Geoff Pound

Connect with Geoff Pound on Facebook, Twitter or at geoffpound(at)gmail.com

Many more articles with a Fujairah flavour are posted on the Fujairah in Focus Facebook Page.

Image: A barge setting out from the Banana with a load of gabbro aggregate.

See the Biggest Land Reclamation Project in the Emirates

In 2008 the Fujairah Bulk Shipping LLC won the largest land reclamation project in the UAE.

The project is called the ‘Northern Project Land Reclamation Site’ and it is located north of the Fujairah Port.

Since 2009 the company has been blasting gabbro rock from the Hajar Mountains and using it to reclaim land from the sea for the development of Fujairah’s oil industry.

Facts at a Glance
540 workers and specialists work on the project.

Work is carried out around the clock in two shifts.

Equipment is maintained by 18 welders, 12 mechanics, 14 tyre fitters.

The land area is 5 million square metres.

The reclaimed land will be 5 kilometres in length.

54 million tonnes will be needed to reclaim this land area.

16 tonnes of explosives are used daily.

Komatsu heavy equipment is being used.

100+ trucks are used on this project.

Trucks carry a weight of 50 tonnes 22 times a day.

2,500 truck trips every 24 hours.

Watch the Fujairah Bulk Shipping LLC Land Reclamation Project



This is an enormous project being carried out with innovation, top safety standards, a dedicated team and logistical expertise. Fujairah Bulk Shipping LLC is on Facebook.

Geoff Pound

Connect with Geoff Pound on Facebook, Twitter or at geoffpound(at)gmail.com

‘City of Life’ Dubai Film—Now for the Sequel

What about a sequel to the film ‘City of Life’—but shot in the mountains and on the sea of the United Arab Emirates by the same director, Ali F Mostafa?

Faisal (played by UAE TV personality, Saoud Al Ka’abi) is a ‘privileged Emirati’ who finds that the snares of Dubai’s power, beauty, wealth and ambition lure him away from his religion and traditions. His frustrated father (played by Habib Ghuloom) is saddened by the way his son has humiliated the family and he says in desperation, “Sometimes I feel you are a complete stranger to me.”

Towards the end of the film Faisal drives out of the city and, parking his car parallel to the mountains of the UAE, at the base of which is a mosque (pictured), the young Emirati enters into deep reflection.

Some viewers concluded that this, like several other scenes, was melodramatic. A synopsis says about the film: “‘City of Life’ reveals how unexpected tragedy and loss can lead to hope and profound transformation…”

Perhaps this scene is a turning point but viewers are left hanging and wondering whether genuine transformation does take place.

Sequel
After a film that centred on the city, this scene suggests a sequel set in the countryside, the desert and the coastland of the Emirates.

Leaving the shiny towers of Dubai Faisal goes on pilgrimage among the massive Hajar Mountains to recover his roots, learn his traditions and acquire a moral compass.

While one of the motifs of ‘City of Life’ is the Bollywood Café presenting lookalikes to people fixated on appearances, setting a new film among the mountains and along the coasts of the UAE gives ample opportunity to portray authentic Emirati culture.

The answer is not to stay in the mountains and escape the city but how young Emiratis can be upheld by their heritage in a rapidly changing country is a pressing question.

Geoff Pound

Connect with Geoff Pound on Facebook, Twitter or at geoffpound(at)gmail.com

Image: From the film ‘City of Life’.

Fujairah in Focus Now On Facebook

Blog Site
Fujairah in Focus has been since 2007 a blog site offering information, photographs, links, ideas, dreams and views with a Fujairah flavour.

Fujairah Facebook Page
Blog articles will continue to be posted on this Fujairah in Focus blog site but many more articles, links and pictures with a Fujairah theme will appear on the new Fujairah in Focus Facebook Page.

Challenging the Information Desert
Local and overseas readers of the Fujairah in Focus blog have frequently complained about the lack of day to day information available about Fujairah, especially in the UAE newspapers. Business representatives have also expressed the desire for more platforms upon which they may advertise their new services, people and products.

The newly created Fujairah in Focus Facebook Page is one attempt to address these needs.

Why Facebook?
Facebook is one of the most popular sites on the Internet with an estimated user membership of almost 500 million. The international reach of Facebook makes it an effective vehicle for making local news on such a topic as ‘Fujairah’ accessible to a worldwide audience.

The UAE leads the Middle East in the number of Facebook users with 36% of UAE residents registered with Facebook. According to Arabian Business, of these 1,600, 000 Facebook users in the Emirates, 63% are male and 37% are female.

While the USA leads the world in Facebook users with 40.7% penetration, the Middle East and the UAE specifically are catching up at a rapid rate. Facebook users in the UAE have increased by a staggering 11% in the last six months.

The National reported that “local Web surfers [are] more than twice as likely to use the [Facebook] site as the global average.”

When I last reported on Facebook users in the UAE in October 2007, Facebook was the 7th most visited site. Currently (22 May 2010) Facebook is the 2nd most visited site after google.ae and before google.com, youtube.com, yahoo.com, live.com, msn.com, blogger.com and Wikipedia.org.

All this makes Facebook in the UAE and the Middle East a significant platform for sharing news, networking and advertising.

Much More at Fujairah in Focus on Facebook
In addition to the daily articles on the Fujairah in Focus blog the Fujairah in Focus Facebook Page has also posted news in the last week about celebrations for the Taweelah-Fujairah pipeline, solar power, religious tolerance, price rises and inflation in Fujairah, fishing and overfishing with visits to the Fujairah fish market, hotel expansion, the digital device and electronics conference (DCC MEA), diving courses, the inaugural fashion exhibition, the forthcoming inspection of schools, ID cards, Fujairah holiday packages, a video on the attractive features of the Al Aqah beaches, resources for visiting Wadi Wuruyah, counselling services, international phone rates, the aluminium industry, the Middle East Retail Academy awards, Fujairah number plates for sale and sources for getting accurate weather information on Fujairah.

So many events and issues in one week from this rapidly growing and changing emirate of Al Fujairah!

Visit the New Site
Do drop by to inspect this new Fujairah in Focus Facebook Page and when you click the LIKE IT button you will get alerts whenever new articles, links and photos on Fujairah are posted.

Geoff Pound

Connect with Geoff Pound on Facebook, Twitter or at geoffpound(at)gmail.com

Azerbaijan and Fujairah Connected by Oil

Partners
+ The Azeri State energy company SOCAR (State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic) is to build a new oil terminal at Fujairah.

+ SOCAR is partnering with AURORA Progress a privately owned Geneva-based Swiss trading house to build the project.

+Management will be by a joint company ‘SOCAR AURORA’.

Project
+ The name: ‘SOCAR AURORA Fujairah Terminal’.

+ Twenty reservoirs for shipment.

+ Storage capacity of up to 20 mill tones of refined oil products annually.

+ Terminal will handle fuels, gasoline, naphthas and middle distillates (diesel, gas oil and jet kerosene).

Cost
+ The first stage will cost up to $10 mill.

+ The finance is available.

Timetable
+ The new terminal is expected to be ready by the beginning of 2011.

Products
+ The terminal is to be used for oil products sold in this region, not Azeri-refined products.

Reason
+ A SOCAR official said there is a deficit of oil products and a growing market, hence the need for greater storage.

Local Benefits
+ The increased oil volumes strengthens Fujairah’s role as a key international trading hub and bunkering port.

+ The Port of Fujairah is commissioning in 2010 a new multi-berth facility for receiving and loading oil tankers.

Azerbaijan
According to Wikipedia:
+ Two thirds of Azerbaijan is rich in oil and natural gas.

+ In September 1994, a 30-year contract was signed between the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) and 13 oil companies, among them Amoco, BP, Exxon, Mobil, Lukoil and Statoil.

+ As Western oil companies are able to tap deepwater oilfields untouched by the Soviet exploitation, Azerbaijan is considered one of the most important spots in the world for oil exploration and development.

+ The State Oil Fund was established as an extra-budgetary fund to ensure the macroeconomic stability, transparency in the management of oil revenue, and the safeguarding of resources for future generations.

+ Azerbaijan, the Central Asian country of nine million people, gained its independence in 1991 following the breakup of the Soviet Union.

Press Releases
+ SOCAR and AURORA to Partner in Fujairah Terminal, SOCAR, 19 May 2010.

+ Aurora Web Site Statement.

Azerbaijan Tourism Video



Geoff Pound

Connect with Geoff Pound on Facebook, Twitter or at geoffpound(at)gmail.com

Does Fujairah Need a Makeover or Reconstructive Surgery?

Keith Fernandez thinks this weekend’s inaugural Style 2010 fashion show may give Fujairah a ‘makeover’.

By-Pass Surgery or Natural Therapy?
One travel writer recommended that tourists by-pass Fujairah city as there was little to see and head straight for the Al Aqah beach resorts. His article displayed more interest in sipping cocktails around the pool at Le Méridien than investigating what the emirate had to offer.

The Al Aqah beach resorts should not be missed but sadly, many tourists take this writer’s advice and by-pass the city completely. It is crucial for Fujairah tourism to highlight and makeover the emirate’s many attractive features.

Makeover or Reconstructive Surgery?
The natural beauty of Fujairah must be enhanced instead of performing radical surgery that produces something artificial and unrecognizable.

A good example of an enhancement rather than a facelift is the Style 2010 venue at the Fujairah Tennis and Country Club. This resort is nestled against the majestic Hajar Mountains and is such a picture, especially in the evening light.

So what might a Fujairah makeover involve? Here are some guiding principles:

Remove the Veil
Unfortunately Trip Advisor reports and blog postings by visitors to Fujairah (here’s one of the latest) repeat the chorus that there’s not much to see and do in Fujairah. The Al Aqah resorts highlight the lure of Fujairah as a place where you can getaway and do nothing. But the huge numbers that come to the Fujairah port on cruise ships believe the trip advisory reports and thus decide to spend a lazy day on board rather than explore the eastern emirate.

The challenge is to remove Fujairah's veil and face up to the bad press by showcasing the features that people will admire and enjoy.

Replace the Ugly Spots with Beauty Spots
Despite the efforts of the municipality and conservation groups there is still too much plastic blowing around the city, litter being tossed out of cars, rubbish left on the corniche after people have feasted on fast food and the trashing of scenic areas.

It is disturbing to see beach areas taken and sea views blocked by high-rise hotels on the Fujairah corniche.

The efforts of the municipality to plant trees and replace concrete with grass are to be applauded but gardens, fences, children’s play equipment and park benches must be done well and daggy public furniture scrapped.

Remove the Oily Pane
Beauticians use cosmetics to deal with an excess of facial oil but it’s much harder to remove the oil that is dumped by oil tankers into the Fujairah waters.

Inserting the word ‘oil’ into the search box of The National online newspaper will uncover a large number of articles from the black year of 2008 about oil dumping in the Fujairah waters by rogue tankers. This has caused hotel beaches to be closed, diving companies to be decimated and the marine life destroyed.

Fortunately incidents of oil dumping and spillage have been greatly reduced with the development of better surveillance and threats of tougher penalties. But there’s a tricky balance between managing a growing oil industry and keeping the environment in pristine condition.

Accentuate the Positives
Just as a beautician or fashion expert might highlight a person’s hair, face or parts of the torso so one must accentuate the positives of an emirate like Al Fujairah.

His Highness, Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, the Ruler of Fujairah and Member of the Supreme Council identified the fine features of his emirate when he wrote this introduction:

“It is…we believe, one of the most beautiful and interesting [emirates], with a combination of attractions found nowhere else in the country. It has no deserts and no oil. What it does have are the best beaches in the country, long sandy stretches washed by the Indian Ocean; the towering and rugged Hajar Mountains riven by valleys that run down to the sea with palm groves clinging to their sides; and a coastal plain verdant with farms that produce much of the UAE’s food.”
(Peter Hellyer, Fujairah: An Arabian Jewel, Dubai: Motivate Publishing, 2005, 4.)

Fujairah Features
Fujairah does not need to copy the things that attract people to Abu Dhabi and Dubai. It has a unique ‘combination of attractions’ which must be showcased and made accessible to residents and visitors alike.

Geoff Pound

Connect with Geoff Pound on Facebook, Twitter or at geoffpound(at)gmail.com

Brisk Oil Trade with Iran

Today’s Wall Street Journal (20 May 2010) contains a story about an oil tanker named ‘Front Page’ leaving the port of Fujairah to go to another UAE Port and thence to Saudi Arabia but making a stop in Iran to take on a supply of oil.

It all seems legal but trade sanctions proposed by the UN and the USA have led many countries to keep quiet about their trading business with Iran.

Link to the story:
Oil Trade With Iran Thrives, Discreetly, WSJ, 20 May 2010.

Geoff Pound

Connect with Geoff Pound on Facebook, Twitter or at geoffpound(at)gmail.com

Image: Trip tracking of the oil tanker (Courtesy of the WSJ)

Letter to The National Newspaper from Fujairah

Thank you for another complimentary copy of The National. As a Fujairah resident it is difficult to sign up for a subscription when there is so little news reported in The National relating to the emirate of Al Fujairah.

The depth and international breadth of your newspaper’s stories is appreciated but to pay for the paper to be delivered to their door, residents of the north-eastern emirate need to feel their growing and rapidly changing region is being regularly investigated and covered.

Fujairah got a mention in today’s paper in the form of a brief notice about this weekend’s fashion exhibition, which is a first for Fujairah.

Disappointingly there did not appear to be any article on the major Middle Eastern conference (DCC MEA) in Fujairah this week for those buying and selling the latest electronics and digital devices.

There was a flurry of in-depth articles on Fujairah last month—five over two days (3-4 April 2010)—when a journalist visited Fujairah for the Easter weekend.

When I last wrote to you on this subject, a read of the paper that day (1 March 2010) revealed no references to any happenings in Fujairah. Furthermore, a search of the online edition during the month of February showed that while the word ‘Fujairah’ appeared 24 times, most of these were fleeting mentions. Only three articles and one online video contained any substantial information on Fujairah.

Put ‘Al Ain’ or ‘Ain’ into the search engine and see the startling contrast. In the Arts and Life segment on 1 March there was a two page calendar on upcoming cultural and sporting events in the UAE. Oasis picks out plenty of cultural highlights in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and to a lesser extent Dubai but after that it appears that all other emirates are a cultural, sporting and epicurean desert.

Until The National takes the smaller emirates seriously the subscription drive is not likely to yield the desired results and all UAE residents and international readers will be the poorer. Your journalists must rove into all regions of the country for this newspaper to adequately live up to its name.

Geoff Pound

Connect with Geoff Pound on Facebook, Twitter or at geoffpound(at)gmail.com

Image: The front page of today’s edition of The National.

What’s Being Revealed at the DCC MEA in Fujairah?

Here’s a rolling collection of some of the reports coming out of the Digital Channel Consumer Channel Middle East and Africa (DCC MEA) get-together (18-20 May 2010) at Fujairah’s Le Méridien Resort.

New articles have been added.

DCC MEA Opening Ceremony
Sheikh Saif bin Hamad Al Sharqi, inaugurated the Sixth Digital Consumer Channel (DCC) MEA 2010.
WAM; Zawya PC Mag Al Bawaba

Major Reporters
Channel EMEA
Shufflegazine: Day 1 Zotac, Freshfiber, Navteg, Kensington, Robert Willett
Shufflegazine: Day 2 Freshfiber shows off its wares.

Keynote Addresses
Robert Alan Willett: on a multi-channel strategy and move from product preoccupation to customer-centric approaches, growth of online selling

UAE Phone Market
UAE's mobile phone market has been forecast to grow annually at 7 per cent valued at Dh1.4 billion ($374 million) by 2014, according to research reports.

San Disk
New Offerings: the 32 gigabyte (GB) SanDisk microSDHC card and the Xbox 360 USB Flash Drive a"

Acer
Gold Sponsor: Crucial role of partners; Middle East is one of strongest performing IT markets; reported on Trade Arabia

MSI
Single and dual screen design tablets: Ninjalane News; also featured by Bit-Tech

ProMate Products

Awards
Belkin Scoops Three Awards at DCC MEA, Zawya, 20 May 2010

Geoff Pound

Connect with Geoff Pound on Facebook, Twitter or at geoffpound(at)gmail.com

2010 Digital Consumer Channel Conference (DCC MEA) in Fujairah

Major Electronics Event
The Digital Consumer Channel (DCC MEA) is the major professional networking event for senior executives from the consumer electronics, digital device and ICT products retail channel in the Middle East & Africa (MEA) region.

Who’s Attending?
Over 500 senior executives are descending on Fujairah’s Le Meridien Resort at the Al Aqah Beach today (18 May 2010).

They will come from countries such as Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, UAE and Yemen.

Why Attend?
Launched in 2005 in Fujairah, the 6th annual DCC MEA will bring buyers from emerging markets into contact with vendors.

Billed as a ‘powerful business platform’ and a ‘must-attend’ event, DCC MEA is a networking function allowing vendors to meet face-to-face with existing and potential retail partners from across the region.

In these three days (18-20 May 2010) people will hold dozens of face-to-face meetings with vendors, chat with their peers from across the region and find out more about the latest industry trends and market data.

Why Every Year?
The MEA retail market for consumer electronics, digital devices and ICT products is growing at a fast rate. From mobile phones to laptops to LCD TVs and MP3 players, demand continues to grow as the region’s fast-growing and youth population spends ever-increasing amounts on these products.

Vendors attend to keep up to date and to discover the answers to questions like these:

1. How do I improve relationships with the leading retailers and retail distributors throughout the MEA region?

2. How do I find the correct partners in some of the more challenging countries in the MEA region without wasting time and money?

3. How can I optimise my sales and marketing strategy for the MEA region?

The Programme?
The three days is billed as an opportunity for 1: 1 meetings, networking, 60 minutes to convince, talk shows, the annual award ceremony and plenty of entertainment.

Take a Look at Highlights from the 2009 DCC MEA


Connect with Geoff Pound on Facebook, Twitter or at geoffpound(at)gmail.com

Image: A glimpse of the networking activities at DCC MEA last year.