The shortage of slips to berth boats in Dubai affects badly the boating industry in the emirate and forced some players to approach the government to tackle this problem.

According to Shaikh Khaled bin Zayed Al Nahyan, chairman of Bin Zayed Group and Duboats Company, the insufficient number of slips affects sales of all types of boats in Dubai, especially yachts, because the owners-to-be have no place to berth them.

He said some of the industry representatives have already approached the Dubai government, asking them to find a temporary solution for this problem and currently the issue is under study, but nothing has been decided yet. He said: "In two years by the time the new marinas, including Palm Islands and others, come up on the stream, the problem will be solved. But in between there should be some temporary solution for boats owners in Dubai."

Currently there are more than 4,000 privately owned boats in Dubai, with many of them kept outside of allocated slips. "They haven't expanded pontoons in the past five years. If they build some 100 pontoons now, they will go in a blink of an eye."

Shaikh Khaled suggested that Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club and Dubai International Marine Club can be expanded to have more slips for boats, while new pontoons can be built on the Jumeirah side. He said: "This problem is there for more than two years now and it affects both sellers and buyers of boats in Dubai," adding that other emirates in the UAE do not face such a problem.

Shaikh Khaled said that the UAE has a long marine tradition and eventually will become a yachting hub of the Middle East. He said that this year's Boat show is expected to almost double in size compared to last year's edition, according to the organisers. The total boats market in the Gulf, including all types of boats, is estimated at 30,000 units per year.

Meanwhile, Duboats, the leisure boat company established by Bin Zayed Group last January, is showcasing eight new models of luxury yachts at the Beneteau Open Days Marine Exhibition, which ends tomorrow at the Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club.

The Beneteau Open Days have been organised to give sailing enthusiasts a preview of the Beneteau yachts that will enter the AGCC marine boat market in this year. Duboats, which is also sponsoring the Beneteau Commodore's Cup 2003-2004, is the sole representative of Beneteau, French manufacturer of blue water sailing yachts in the Middle East region.

Duboats is showcasing First 27.7, First 36.7, First 31.7, First 211, Flyer 650WA, Antares 9.80, Antares 13.80, First 260 Spirit and Oceanis 473 models of the Beneteau range of power and sailing yachts. The price of the boats ranges from Dh100,000 up to Dh2 million. The company's sales for the last six months amounted to Dh15 million. Shortly it will introduce Ferretti yachts into the market.