DUBAI (AFP) -- Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashed al-Maktoum has appointed his son Sheikh Hamdan as crown prince of the booming Persian Gulf city state, the official WAM news agency reported.

Sheikh Mohammad, who is also the vice president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, issued a decree appointing Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammad, 26, as crown prince from February 1.
Sheikh Hamdan, a graduate of Britain's Sandhurst military academy, heads Dubai's executive council which supervises public sector and development strategies, it said.
The post of Dubai's crown prince had been left vacant since Sheikh Mohammad, who was himself crown prince, succeeded his late brother Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashed as ruler in January 2006.
In another decree, Mohammad appointed a younger son, Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammad, 25, and Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashed, a brother of the ruler, as his two deputies, WAM said.
Dubai is one of seven emirates forming the oil-rich UAE federation and has established itself as a regional business and tourism hub.