Statement from Sid Bensalah.
Since 2009 and after the two tragic accidents which resulted in the loss of three Racers in the UAE, a lot of hard and extensive work has been initiated by the DIMC in conjunction with the UAEMSF and WPPA in order to investigate and understand the main reasons behind the crashes.
A comprehensive safety report and requirements was issued and implemented by the UAEMSF and world governing body for watersports, the UIM.
In 2010, the UIM issued new (Boat –Drivers & Venues) Safety Rules in X-CAT and Class 1.
In December last year, there were three more fatalities resulting from four accidents during the Powerboat Race in Key West, USA. Based on comments from the experts, the fatalities could have been avoided if the UIM boat/cockpit safety recommendation was applied by these boats.
Today, we need to ask ourselves: where are we in terms of safety? What are the main areas that we need to focus in order to improve boat-crew and venue safety?
During the last UIM General Assembly in Abu Dhabi, the OPC had mentioned that we should be proactive towards safety and a continuous improvement in this sphere.
The first initiative in 2012 was a first safety seminar under the guidance of Mr. Bob Wartinger for the X-CAT Series pilots during the third Heat of the UIM X-CAT World Series in Dubai on February 1st.
Today we’re continuing this work with bigger audience with the support of Dubai International Marine Club and Dubai International Boat Show under the guidance of UAEMSF and UIM to attend the Safety and Performance Seminar for Powerboat Racing on March 14 and 15th, 2012, at the Mina Seyahi Hall from 9:00 am.