With Asia Pacific accounting for 40% of the global maritime market, all eyes are on this region, with much of this attention focused on Asia Pacific Maritime (APM) when it opens at the Singapore Expo come 26 March. Recognizing this great potential, two key maritime players in the Middle East, Thuraya Satellite Telecommunications Company and Dubai Maritime City, have chosen to partner with APM to launch aggressively into Asia. 
Thuraya Satellite Telecommunications Company, the world's largest provider of handheld mobile satellite services, is the main sponsor for APM this year. They will use APM 2008 as the launch pad to start their commercial services across the Asia Pacific region, following the successful lift-off of Thuraya-3, their third Geo-mobile satellite in January this year. Thuraya now provides blanket coverage to more than 130 countries in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and most parts of Asia, including Australia.
Mr. Eugene Lim, General Manager (Asia Pacific) for Thuraya commented, “APM is the ideal stage for the unveiling of our new satellite coverage. It reaches key decision-makers in the shipping and maritime industry, central to our core customer base, and this year will have a strong focus on the extraordinary growth and development being witnessed in the Asia Pacific region. We look forward to a successful commercial roll-out at APM later this month”. 
Dubai Maritime City, the world’s first purpose-built maritime centre and member of the Dubai World Group, has also announced its intentions to expand its international network and bolster brand recognition in the Asian region by taking up the co-sponsor package at APM 2008. Dubai Maritime City's participation will be a step towards consolidating its global reputation as a world-leading, multi-purpose maritime centre that caters to all maritime-related businesses and activities.   
"This is a good marketing opportunity to build new networks and exchange practices and techniques with Asian and world leaders in the maritime industry. More importantly, Dubai Maritime City will leverage its prominent role in the event to promote Dubai and the rest of the Gulf region's significant progress in our transformation into becoming a global maritime hub through state-of-the-art infrastructure developments such as Dubai Maritime City, and through the region's strategically important central location," said Nawfal Al-Jourani, , Chief Marketing Officer, Dubai Maritime City. 
The region’s leading one stop exhibition for the maritime community and a top destination for international marine buyers and sellers continues to win the support of the international maritime community. Aside from the strong show of support from Middle East, visitors to APM 2008 can also expect to meet with more than 800 international participants from 45 countries, with strong representation from the 11 country pavilions of China, France, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Norway, the Netherlands, Romania, Singapore, South Korea and the United Kingdom.   
“We are pleased to partner with these two prestigious maritime corporations from the Middle East. With its vibrant maritime scene, the Middle East is a beacon of visionary development for the international shipping industry. APM’s ability to continuously attract the presence of strong international maritime players, encourages a lively exchange of ideas and knowledge, and allows our participants to make business connections that count,” said Ms Michelle Lim, General Manager, Reed Exhibitions, Singapore.