JEDDAH: Transport Minister Jabara Al-Seraisry yesterday blamed the arrival of fake and imitation products at the Jeddah Islamic Port for the accumulation of containers at the port. “Customs department officials required more time to inspect such products to protect consumers,” he said.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting with Khaled Boubsheet, president of Saudi Ports Authority, he said the minister inspected port facilities on Tuesday on the directives of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, Crown Prince Sultan and Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior Prince Naif. Prince Naif had earlier instructed Al-Seraisry and port officials to find radical solutions for the recurring problem of container accumulation at the port forcing international shipping lines to unload their goods at nearby ports. He denied suggestions that the Port and Customs Department were to blame for the problem. “During my inspection tour, I found some 8,000 containers that were present at the port being cleared by customs officials and keeping them ready for transportation,” he said.
Al-Seraisry said traders keep the containers at the port for some time making use of the concession given to them by the government.
He skipped a question on the lack of workers at clearance companies and said there was good cooperation between various agencies to speed up clearance of consignments.
“Clearing companies have received adequate number of visas from the Ministry of Labor to recruit workers. Until the arrival of recruited workers companies can make use of workers available in the local market,” he explained.
He said Jeddah Islamic Port, the largest on the Red Sea, receives about 65 percent of the Kingdom’s imports. Its northern and southern terminals have a capacity to handle three million containers a year.
