RIYADH, 15 July 2003 — The Kingdom has intensified efforts to streamline the operations of shipping and cargo companies and relaxed regulations to ensure quick clearance of cargo from the sea ports.
It currently takes several days to clear a shipment from a seaport in the Kingdom compared to only a few hours for the same shipment from the ports of the United Arab Emirates.
This was announced at a meeting here yesterday by Wadeea A. Derar, general manager, and Abdul Razzak Ali Al-Turki, director of sales and marketing, Namma Cargo Services Co. Ltd.
They said the government was trying to minimize procedural hassles. “We hope they will further reduce paperwork and improve performance of government agencies to ensure immediate clearance of shipments from the ports,” they said.
“Even sniffer dogs can delay the shipment in Saudi Arabia by three days,” said Derar and Abdul Razzak, adding that the current security measures are also delaying the clearance of shipments.
“The port authorities have earmarked bonded areas in Dammam and Jeddah sea ports where you can clear all transit shipments for delivery to customers,” they said. “We have nine sea ports better equipped than the UAE ports and we have the best airports in the world for cargo handling but still we lag behind in terms of efficiency,” they added.
