DIMDEX 2026: Premier maritime defence event returns to doha from 19 to 22 January 2026
Doha, Qatar – Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, Amir of the State of Qatar, the Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference (DIMDEX), hosted and organised by the Qatar Armed Forces, is set to welcome global naval leaders, defence ministers, chiefs of staff, government officials, and industry executives from around the world for its ninth edition, taking place from 19 to 22 January 2026 at the Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC).
Held under the theme 'A Global Hub for Defence Innovations: Invest in Possibilities to Shape a Secure Tomorrow', DIMDEX 2026 will serve as a key driver in fostering innovation, encouraging strategic investments in future-ready maritime technologies, and contributing to the creation of a safer and more sustainable maritime domain for future generations.
Further enhancing its standing, DIMDEX 2026 will expand to a four-day format for the first time ever. The exhibition will offer participants exceptional opportunities for strategic dialogue and commercial exchange, as well as the chance to explore the latest technological advancements in the defence sector and maritime equipment.
Staff Brigadier (Sea) Abdulbaqi Saleh Al-Ansari, Chairman of the Organising Committee of DIMDEX, stated: "We are honoured to host the ninth edition of DIMDEX as a four-day event. Our theme, 'A Global Hub for Defence Innovations,' reflects our commitment to offering a vital platform for the international maritime defence and security community to connect, collaborate, and invest in innovations that will define the future of global security.'
With a significant number of exhibitors expected at this biennial event, DIMDEX 2026 will showcase the latest advancements in maritime defence and security through its four key components: the Exhibition, featuring leading international defence companies; the Middle East Naval Commanders Conference (MENC), a forum for discussing critical issues that play an important role in shaping the features of the defence sector; VIP Delegations, providing exhibitors unparalleled access to key decision-makers; and the Visiting Warships Display at Hamad Port, offering a glimpse into modern naval capabilities. This integrated approach ensures a comprehensive and impactful experience for all participants.
DIMDEX remains steadfast in its mission to advance the global maritime defence and security community, playing since its inception a vital role in providing a leading platform for showcasing the latest defence and maritime technologies and facilitating strategic dialogues that contribute to strengthening security and defence at both national and international levels. DIMDEX's success has attracted major local and international companies, as well as a diverse spectrum of high-level delegations from around the world, further solidifying its position as a key meeting point for stakeholders in this vital sector.
The previous edition of DIMDEX welcomed a record-breaking 25,000 visitors, with even greater attendance expected for DIMDEX 2026, underscoring the event's growing influence and global reach.
DIMDEX continues to showcase cutting-edge defence innovations, cultivate strategic partnerships, and unlock meaningful commercial opportunities. Beyond its industry impact, the event significantly contributes to Qatar's economic development by drawing thousands of participants and visitors to Doha, while reinforcing the country's long-term vision for enhanced security and prosperity, in alignment with the Qatar National Vision 2030.
For more information and details about DIMDEX 2026, please visit www.dimdex.com.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Zawya
23 minutes ago
- Zawya
Jeddah airport launches first Hainan Airlines flights
King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah has welcomed the inaugural flight of China's Hainan Airlines, marking the launch of the first direct route between Jeddah and the Chinese city of Haikou. The new service will operate three times per week, positioning the airport as the first in the Kingdom to offer direct connectivity to Haikou, reported SPA. The launch of this route boosts air traffic between Saudi Arabia and China, reinforcing King Abdulaziz International Airport's growing role as a global logistics hub and expanding the Kingdom's direct air links with China. The inaugural flight was received by Chief Executive Officer of Jeddah Airports Company Eng. Mazen bin Mohammed Johar; Consul General of the People's Republic of China in Jeddah Wang Qimin; and several officials from the Saudi Tourism Authority, the Saudi Air Connectivity Program, and various government and security sectors operating at the airport. Hainan Airlines, ranked among the world's top ten airlines by Skytrax, brings a new level of service to the airport. Its entry is expected to enhance the quality of air travel services and contribute to providing a superior travel experience. Chief Executive Officer and Board Member of the Saudi Tourism Authority Fahd Hamidaddin commented: 'We are proud of our strategic partnership with Hainan Airlines and look forward to expanding this collaboration through targeted initiatives and promotional campaigns led by the Saudi Tourism Authority.' He noted that the number of Chinese visitors to the Kingdom grew by 52 per cent compared to last year, and that air connectivity between the two countries now includes six airlines operating 29 weekly flights. The Kingdom aims to attract five million Chinese tourists annually by 2030. Johar stated: 'This significant milestone aligns with our strategy to increase the number of international destinations served by King Abdulaziz International Airport to 150 by 2030, in line with the National Aviation Strategy and Vision 2030.' He added that integrating Hainan Airlines into the airport's network strengthens Saudi–China air connectivity and supports infrastructure and service expansion efforts to meet growing global travel demand. The CEO of the Saudi Air Connectivity Program Majid Khan described the occasion as an important step toward enhancing the Kingdom's global connectivity. 'Welcoming Hainan Airlines in Jeddah reflects growing demand for travel between Saudi Arabia and China and helps foster tourism, cultural exchange, and economic ties,' he said. He emphasised the role of Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khateeb, who also oversees the Air Connectivity Program, in positioning Saudi Arabia as an approved and attractive destination for Chinese tourists. The Chinese market is targeted to become the Kingdom's third-largest source of inbound tourism by 2030. This development is part of the ongoing efforts by the General Authority of Civil Aviation to strengthen international air connectivity and expand the Kingdom's air transport network. It also supports Vision 2030's broader objective to establish Saudi Arabia as a leading global logistics platform and open new horizons for travel and trade. -TradeArabia News Service Copyright 2024 Al Hilal Publishing and Marketing Group Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Zawya
23 minutes ago
- Zawya
Hibrid, Alibaba to deliver key infrastructure solutions in GCC
Hibrid, a leading UAE-based provider of innovative streaming technology, has sealed a strategic deal with Alibaba Cloud to deliver advanced streaming and comprehensive infrastructure solutions to its customers across the Middle East and the GCC region. This collaboration combines Hibrid's cutting-edge streaming platform with Alibaba's robust infrastructure capabilities to enhance content delivery, optimize network performance, and provide scalable solutions tailored to the unique needs of the Middle Eastern market. The partnership aims to empower businesses across various sectors, including media, telecommunications, and entertainment, by facilitating seamless streaming experiences backed by AI-powered technology and reliable infrastructure. On the launch, Victor Sawma, Founder and CTO of Hibrid, said: "We are excited to join forces with Alibaba Cloud to bring state-of-the-art streaming and infrastructure solutions to the Middle East and GCC. Together, we will help our customers unlock new opportunities by delivering high-quality, low-latency streaming services supported by strong, scalable, and advanced infrastructure." "This partnership marks a significant step forward in our mission to drive digital transformation in the region," he stated. Eric Wan, General Manager of the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa, Alibaba Cloud Intelligence, said: "We are thrilled to collaborate with local industry leaders like Hibrid to provide advanced media solutions powered by Alibaba Cloud's robust cloud infrastructure to businesses in the region." "Through this partnership, we are dedicated to building a sustainable and thriving ecosystem that supports our local customers and partners to fully embrace and benefit from digitalization in the era of AI," he stated. The combined expertise of Hibrid and Alibaba Cloud is expected to further improve content delivery networks, reduce latency, facilitate the setup and launch of streaming platforms for customers through a one-stop-shop environment, and enhance overall user experience for end-users. Both companies are committed to continuous innovation and customer-centric solutions that align with the rapidly evolving digital landscape in the Middle East and GCC, he added. -TradeArabia News Service Copyright 2024 Al Hilal Publishing and Marketing Group Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
The National
an hour ago
- The National
Has the oil and gas industry learnt the right lessons from the Israel-Iran conflict?
Open fighting between Israel and Iran, and missile and drone strikes on oil and gas facilities would once have triggered crisis in energy markets. Yet after the 12-day war between Israel and Iran, joined by the US, oil prices are lower than when it started. Has the oil and gas industry learnt lessons from this brief conflict? More importantly, has it learnt the right lessons? First, the market is not worried about disruption to energy supplies from the Gulf. Despite two of the Middle East's key military and political powers lobbing missiles at each other, despite the US directly bombing Iran for the first time ever and Tehran also countering for the first time by attacking the territory of a Gulf state, oil prices are lower now than before the conflict broke out. After a brief 20 per cent rise, gas prices in Europe have also dropped to below their pre-June 12 levels, even though the continent needs Gulf liquefied natural gas (LNG) to make up for the loss of Russian imports. Following much more nervous periods in the early 2000s, when a whiff of gunpowder could put $10 on the oil price, four factors are at play. The rise of the US's shale oil and gas output has diversified supplies, and it could increase output further in the case of a prolonged disruption and price spike. Opec members hold major spare capacity in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Iraq, while Iran's own output has stagnated. Saudi Arabia and the UAE have built or expanded pipelines that bypass the Strait of Hormuz. And the world economy is less oil-dependent – a barrel of oil generates $2,500 of world gross domestic product today, up from $1,725 in 2000. Renewable energy and electric vehicles are now genuine alternatives at commercial scale to oil and gas. But perhaps all these factors are secondary to the fable of the 'boy who cried wolf'. Iranian politicos and military officials have often threatened to 'close the Strait of Hormuz' at times of geopolitical tension and analysts have studied the possible threats, implications and countermeasures to exhaustion. Yet nothing has happened, beyond in the past few years some minor and deniable explosions, and harassment of vessels by Iranian naval forces. This time, there was not even that, just some spoofing of GPS signals. Iran depends on the strait itself; interrupting transit would cut off its own exports and imports, and invite devastating retaliation. It is only likely to be attempted if the regime in Tehran has its back to the wall. Of course, the fighting had some impacts on specific parts of the energy business, sharply pushing up diesel and jet fuel prices, tanker hire rates and insurance. But overall, the oil market appears to have decided that it will wait to see real physical disruption or destruction before reacting dramatically. Second, there is still restraint in targeting energy sites. Probably not wanting to be blamed for causing a global energy crisis, Israel did not attack Iran's oil export capacities. Its strikes against domestic oil depots and gas processing plants appear more in the nature of a warning and have not caused long-lasting disruption. Iranian missiles did damage facilities at the Bazan plant in Haifa, one of Israel's two oil refineries. But Israel's three offshore gasfields have avoided damage, even though since October 2023, they have seemed like obvious, critical and hard-to-defend targets for missiles or drones from Iran or its allies, notably Hezbollah. Third, the Gulf countries' outreach to Iran, and the assistance of China in mediating the Saudi-Iran normalisation of March 2023, has been helpful in keeping them out of conflict. Doha was certainly not happy to have Iranian missiles targeted at the US's Al Udeid base on its soil, but no serious damage was done and the Iranians were quick to make it clear that the nation of Qatar was not their target. But what if these lessons are false? Or, at least, not teaching us what we think? Complacency in such critical matters could be catastrophic. Restraint tends to fall away as conflicts draw on. Weapons are used with greater ingenuity and desperation. Ukraine has showed that well with its increasingly sophisticated penetration of Russian defences, its strikes against oil refineries, key bridges and rail lines, and bomber bases. Iran and, before it, Hezbollah were taken aback by the elimination of so many key commanders early in the conflict. That may have limited their ability to execute more damaging retaliation this time. Aerial and maritime drones give capacity for much more precise strikes than were possible in previous periods of panic in the early 2000s. Israel and the US have given mixed messages on whether their goal was the elimination or setback of Iran's nuclear programme, or regime change. If the Islamic Republic were seriously in danger of destruction, though, it would become far more likely to use whatever remaining leverage over world energy supplies it had. The boy who cried wolf, of course, was eventually eaten by a wolf. The region and the key external players need to move beyond fragile ceasefires, containment and the rule of the gun, to multilateral peacebuilding In some ways, the global energy system is more robust than in the early 2000s. In others, it has become more vulnerable – because of the loss of Russian gas to Europe, the much greater reliance globally on Gulf LNG, and the disruption of shipping through the southern Red Sea. As former Egyptian president Anwar Sadat used to say, 'the US holds 99 per cent of the cards in the Middle East'. It may not be so high these days, and Sadat himself admitted in private, 'The United States actually holds only 60 per cent'. But neither of Iran's backers, China or Russia, seem to hold even 10 per cent, nor were of any obvious use in halting the Israeli or American attacks. Concern for what Beijing thinks might hold back Tehran from attacking its Gulf neighbours, but the fear of US retaliation remains a bigger restraining factor. We have, so far, got away with an exceptionally dangerous situation. The solutions are threefold. First, regional states including the Gulf should continue building energy security and resilience, including better defences, and diversified infrastructure. Second, energy importers should accelerate their efforts on non-petroleum technologies, bringing environmental as well as security gains. Third, the region and the key external players need to move beyond fragile ceasefires, containment and the rule of the gun, to multilateral peacebuilding.
