Importers urge measures to speed up goods clearance at Jeddah port

Saudi importers have urged authorities to take remedial measures for the accumulation of goods at Jeddah Islamic Port, especially during Eid holidays, due to delay in clearance.
Speaking to the Arab News’ sister publication, Asharq Al-Awsat, importers said they suffered heavy losses as a result of the delay in the arrival of goods in markets.
Dr. Wasif Kabili, vice chairman of the trade committee at Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said: “We have received many complaints from importers about the delay in clearance of goods at the port, especially during the Eid Al-Adha holidays.”
He said the accumulation of goods in the port causes problems not only to the traders but also to government departments.
“We have to find a remedy for this problem in order to encourage traders to use the port for importing their goods. We have to increase the number of employers and equipment to speed up clearance,” he added.
Kabili said the port should appoint a number of employees to work during Eid. He indicated that some traders do not use the port to bring their goods because of recurrent delays.
“We should know that a number of goods enter the Kingdom through neighboring ports.”
Saher Tahlawi, director general of Jeddah port, urged agents of shipping lines, traders and customs clearance officials to be present at the port in specified times to get their goods cleared quickly without delay.
“We have appointed a number of employees to work during Eid,” he said. Informed sources in the port attributed the present crisis to the shortage of staff at the customs department. Closure of banks for the Eid was another reason for the crisis as traders could not obtain bank guarantees.
The Saudi Ports Authority has urged all companies and traders to clear their goods quickly to avoid accumulation of goods at ports. “Any delay in clearing goods will affect the ports’ services,” according to a port statement.
A ministerial committee has recommended the restructuring of the Saudi Ports Authority to transform it into a corporation so that it works on a commercial basis. Its board of directors would be given more powers to develop port systems and remove negative aspects.
The Jeddah port blamed traders and importers for the delay in clearance of goods and accumulation of consignments at the port saying they come to the customs in the last moment. This caused unnecessary delays at the port.
Total investment on infrastructure at Jeddah ports has amounted to SR 4.8 billion and can handle 7 million containers annually. Jeddah port covers an area of 11.4 million square meters and has 62 wharfs with a total length of 12.3 kilometers.