Mr. Muhammad Tahir Lakhani is the founder of Dubai Trading Agency LLC, Dubai UAE, and a member of the Propeller Club of the United States and Port of Monaco. Being interested in sports since his childhood, he took up tennis and played on an international level. He represented Pakistan at Davis Cup and played Junior Wimbledon in tennis, and then he decided to go into the shipping industry business.
His Journey in Pakistan
Born on 27th April 1962 in Pakistan into a well-respected family, Trading is in his blood. Though, he wanted to achieve his life goal in his own way. So, he decided to join his close friend’s ship recycling yard in his 20s in Pakistan. During his tenure at that ship recycling yard, Tahir supervised the steel plates movement with dedication and spent 3 years over there from 8 am to 8 pm on ships. The steel plates movement process (the plates were cut from vessels and used to get sold on-site to traders) had been monitored by Mr. Tahir Lakhani.
His Journey from Pakistan to the UK
By 1999, Mr. Tahir Lakhani understood the required International platform for the ship recycling business so he decided to move to the UK with his family from UAE, where he explored more to build his industry connections for more to achieve & expand.
Prior to the UK, he had established his own ship recycling business by the name Dubai Trading Agency LLC (DTA) in the year 1985. Mr. Tahir Lakhani joined DTA as a Chairman and the Managing Director and made a deal to purchase “three ex-Adriatic Tankers VLCC’s in international waters off the UAE and deliver them to breakers in Pakistan,” which was the biggest ship demolition deal ever made.
By 1997, Mr. Lakhani’s business became the most successful business in the shipping industry, and it was the one & biggest “cash buyer” trading agency for buying and selling over 100 ships in a year.
Mr. Lakhani started his career in the shipping industry when he joined his friend’s ship recycling yard in Pakistan. After having been involved in the ship recycling industry in Pakistan, then he moved to Dubai. He started a business for buying old ships and selling them on to the recycling yards for decommissioning.
By 2009, Tahir Lakhani became a British citizen and continued to visit Dubai on a regular basis, expanding the business in both volume and scale, eventually moving back in 2014.
The Major Achievements of His Professional & Personal Interest
- Mr. Muhammad Tahir Lakhani is a member of the Propeller Club of the United States and Port of Monaco.
- Mr. Tahir Lakhani represented the UAE as the Vice Chairman of the UAE Shipping Association until 2019.
- Tahir Lakhani became the biggest successful businessman dealing as “cash buyer” in ship industry for buying & selling over 100 ships per year till 1997.
- Tahir Lakhani Dubai is holding the first Green Recycling Conference in Dubai, in partnership with international maritime publication Tradewinds.
- Tahir Lakhani has represented Pakistan at Davis Cup.
- Tahir Lakhani played Junior Wimbledon in tennis.
