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Dubai Customs Unveils Seamless Inspections Initiative at GITEX Global: A Game-Changer in Logistics

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Dubai Customs Unveils Seamless Inspections Initiative at GITEX Global: A Game-Changer in Logistics

At GITEX Global, Dubai Customs introduced its innovative “Seamless Inspections” initiative, marking a significant advancement in how customs inspections are conducted. Designed to streamline the inspection process, the initiative allows on-demand customs checks at logistics service providers’ facilities, effectively reducing costs and speeding up clearance times for businesses. The pilot project, launched in partnership with Aramex, is a milestone for both Dubai Customs and the global logistics sector, setting a new benchmark in customs efficiency.

Read also: The Future of Blockchain at Dubai Customs: Leading the Way in Innovation

 A New Era for Customs Inspections

Historically, customs inspections have required companies to transport goods to customs centers. Dubai Customs’ new initiative disrupts this traditional model by shifting the inspection process closer to businesses. Under this system, inspections can take place directly at the facilities of logistics providers, such as warehouses and distribution centers, at times that align with business operations.

This change offers a range of practical benefits for companies operating in Dubai, a city that has firmly established itself as a global trade hub. Businesses will no longer need to transport goods solely for customs purposes, thereby saving time, reducing transportation expenses, and improving the overall efficiency of the supply chain. 

Cutting Costs and Improving Flexibility

A key advantage of the “Seamless Inspections” initiative is the reduction in logistics and transportation costs. For companies relying on imports and exports, transporting goods to central customs locations incurs significant expenses—not just in terms of fuel and driver costs, but also in terms of delays that can impact production schedules, delivery commitments, and customer satisfaction.

With on-demand inspections available directly at logistics service providers like Aramex, companies can eliminate these unnecessary steps. By allowing inspections to be scheduled around business needs, Dubai Customs has also enhanced operational flexibility. Companies can now integrate inspections into their workflows without disrupting other critical processes, leading to smoother and faster customs clearance.

This model is particularly useful for companies handling high volumes of goods, such as e-commerce providers, manufacturers, and multinational corporations. By speeding up the clearance process, the initiative enables these businesses to meet deadlines more effectively, reducing bottlenecks and ensuring faster delivery to end customers.

Strengthening Dubai’s Global Trade Competitiveness

The launch of “Seamless Inspections” underscores Dubai’s commitment to being a global leader in trade and logistics. By offering businesses in Dubai a faster, more cost-effective solution for customs inspections, the initiative strengthens the city’s position as a preferred hub for international trade. The flexibility provided by the new system allows companies to manage global supply chains more effectively, boosting the overall reliability and attractiveness of Dubai as a base of operations.

Additionally, reducing time spent on customs procedures means businesses can redirect resources to more productive areas, such as expanding operations or exploring new market opportunities. The increased efficiency also positions Dubai Customs as a forward-thinking entity, setting an example for other customs authorities around the world.

For the pilot project with Aramex, customs inspectors are equipped with mobile technology that allows them to conduct checks at the warehouse itself. By leveraging this on-site inspection model, Dubai Customs is able to apply the same rigorous standards that it uses at central customs centers but with far greater convenience and flexibility for the customer.

 A Model for Global Adoption?

As one of the first initiatives of its kind in the world, “Seamless Inspections” is setting a new standard in how customs inspections are managed. It could well serve as a model for other global trade hubs seeking to enhance efficiency and reduce costs for their business partners. The initiative aligns perfectly with Dubai’s broader vision of becoming a leader in smart, efficient, and scalable business processes.

The collaboration between Dubai Customs and Aramex illustrates how public and private partnerships can drive innovation in global trade. With the success of the pilot, it’s likely that this model will be expanded to other logistics providers, further extending its benefits across different sectors.

Dubai Customs’ “Seamless Inspections” initiative is a groundbreaking development that promises to transform the logistics landscape in Dubai. By offering on-demand, flexible inspections at logistics service providers’ facilities, this initiative reduces costs, shortens customs clearance times, and enhances operational efficiency for businesses. It strengthens Dubai’s reputation as a world-class trade hub and could pave the way for similar innovations worldwide.

As Dubai continues to lead the charge in technological advancements and logistics innovation, initiatives like “Seamless Inspections” serve as key milestones in reshaping global trade practices.

Dubai

Dubai’s Latest Report Confirms Non-Oil Foreign Trade Increased 6 Percent in 2019

In the latest report by the Government of Dubai, the region was confirmed its efforts to achieve its 2025 trade target of AED2 trillion helped spur growth in trade last year. The report also confirmed that non-oil external trade saw an increase of 19 percent in volume from 91 million tons in 2018 to reach 109 million tons in 2019. Re-exports rose by a record 48 percent to reach 17 million tons, while exports rose by 45 percent to 19 million tons and imports grew by 9 percent to 72 million tons. These figures capped a prosperous decade for Dubai from 2010-2020, during which external trade grew by 70 percent.

Dubai achieved exceptional external trade growth in 2019 despite the headwinds from an intensified global economic downturn. In terms of value, Dubai’s external trade surged 6 percent to AED1.371 trillion from AED 1.299 trillion in 2018. Exports skyrocketed 22 percent to AED155 billion, re-exports grew by 4 percent to AED420 billion and imports rose by 3 percent to AED796 billion. Over the decade (2010-2019), the value of Dubai’s external trade went up by 52 percent thanks to the agility, versatility and flexibility of the external trade sector in the emirate, which discovered alternative markets and trade paths to make up for sluggish growth in some markets.

“Dubai’s external trade has contributed significantly to the emirate’s economic achievements, further raising its status as a global hub for trade, business, and tourism, giving it a solid platform for growth in the next 50 years and creating the optimal conditions for more sustainable development across sectors,” said Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council. “Inspired by the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Dubai’s external trade sector is progressing steadily towards the 2025 trade target of AED2 trillion set by His Highness.

“All government entities are working seamlessly together to provide the best services, facilitate trade and foreign investments, and further develop infrastructure across the emirate, especially at airports and free zones, to galvanize its journey of excellence and enhance its role as a commercial bridge between the east and west. Furthermore, hosting mega-events such as EXPO 2020 will provide opportunities for the international trade sector to explore new possibilities and expand growth.”

Dubai’s foreign trade out of free zones in 2019 was a major contributor to the overall increase, accounting for AED592 billion, an 11 percent increase year-on-year. Direct trade saw a 2 percent growth to reach AED770 billion. Customs warehouse trade hit AED9 billion.

Land trade grew by 11 percent contributing to AED228 billion, air trade rose by 5 percent to AED641 billion and sea trade increased by 4 percent to AED502 billion.

Sultan bin Sulayem, DP World Group Chairman & CEO and Chairman of Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation, said: “Growth in Dubai’s external trade is the fruit of dedicated and well-planned work over the last few years, which helped us establish global leadership in different sectors. The future is promising and there are no limits when it comes to our expectations. We will keep growing and developing based on the latest and most advanced innovations and breakthroughs in AI smart applications following the vision and directives of our leadership.

“Hosting major international events will give our organizations a greater voice on the world stage, backed by our presence and strong network out of the 80 terminals that DP World operates worldwide, and our bold economic initiatives including the Dubai Silk Road.”

Bin Sulayem added: “Free zones in Dubai are a key factor behind the emirate’s trade success. The sophisticated infrastructure of our free zones, especially Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA), has helped businesses benefit from different incentives and facilities, and attracted more foreign investments over the years.”

Bin Sulayem said Dubai Customs is continuously evolving to facilitate greater trade and provide more exceptional service to its customers. The number of customs transactions completed by Dubai Customs grew by a record 34 percent in 2019 to 13 million from 9.7 million in 2018. As part of the Dubai Silk Road strategy, Dubai Customs launched the World Logistics Passport, which links Customs World, DP World, and Emirates Group to enhance connectivity through Dubai and, through sharing of expertise and process development directly between partner countries. Dubai Customs also launched the second phase of the productivity engine, an initiative developed in-house and approved by The Executive Council with the aim of boosting productivity by 8 – 10 percent.

China remained Dubai’s largest trading partner, contributing AED150 billion. India was the second-biggest trading partner, contributing AED135 billion, followed by the USA with AED77.7 billion, and Switzerland with AED60 billion.

Saudi Arabia maintained its position as Dubai’s largest Arab trade partner. The country was the emirate’s fifth-biggest partner globally, contributing AED56 billion.

The highest traded commodity by value in 2019 was gold, jewelry, and diamonds which contributed AED370 billion, a growth of 7 percent from 2018. Gold took the lion’s share of trade with AED169.5 billion, followed by phones with AED164 billion, an increase of 9 percent from the previous year. The third-highest traded commodity was jewelry at AED116.6 billion, followed by petroleum oils which contributed AED85.4 billion in 2019, a growth of 55 percent, and diamonds which accounted for AED83.9 billion.

*Republished with permission

Dubai Customs Thwarts Attempt to Smuggle 5m Captagon Pills

Cooperation between different customs departments and good planning have led to thwarting an attempt to smuggle large number of Captagon pills at Jebel Ali & Tecom Customs Center, just a few days before 2019 unfolds.

The illegal shipment was tracked by customs intelligence personnel who shared the information and images of the shipment through the Regional Intelligence Liaison Office (RILO).

The Regional Intelligence Liaison Office (RILO) is a regional centre for collecting and analyzing data, which also disseminates information throughout the global customs network. As a fundamental pillar of the World Customs Organization (WCO)’s Enforcement Strategy, Intelligence and Information Exchange is facilitated through eleven (11) RILOs covering the six (6) regions of the WCO.

The RILO informed of a drug shipment in a nearby country, and by analyzing and comparing the data, the team at Jebel Ali & TECOM Customs Center decided to track similar shipment coming into Dubai in a container that had vehicle spare parts from a country that doesn’t normally trade with spare parts. The container was tracked through the smart Vessel Tracking System, developed by Dubai Customs.

The container was scanned, and with the help of the customs K-9 Dog unit, 5 million Captagon pills that weighed 500 kg were seized. This raises the number of Captagon pills seized since January 2018 to 15 million pills.

Jebel Ali & TECOM Customs Center has made 19 seizures between 2016 and 2019. These included 225 million narcotic pills and 51 kg of other drugs.

Commenting on the seizure, Director of Dubai Customs Ahmed Mahboob Musabih pointed out all customs departments work and coordinate together to combat illegitimate trade and thwart any narcotic drugs smuggling attempt.

“We are vigilant and well prepared to all attempts of bringing these illegal contrabands into the UAE through Dubai entry points. The high sophisticated level that Dubai Customs reached in terms of infrastructure, equipment and the skills of their customs officers have led to more control over the emirate’s entry points and borders following the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai” says Musabih.

Shuaib Al SuwaidiCustoms Intelligence Director at Dubai Customs revealed they track shipments on their way to Dubai’s entry points based on numerous data and intelligence resources.

Captagon was first manufactured in 1961. It stimulates the central nervous system, increases alertness, boosts concentration and physical performance, and provides a feeling of well-being. It was earlier prescribed to treat narcolepsy and depression, but the medical community determined that Captagon’s addictive properties outweighed its clinical benefits in 1980.

It was then banned in several countries, particularly after it was found, as is the case with long-term amphetamine users, to lead to extreme depression, malnutrition, heart and blood vessel toxicity, and sleep deprivation.

 

 

Dubai Customs Thwarts 922 Smuggling Attempts in 9 Months

Director of Dubai Customs, Ahmed Mahboob Musabih revealed they have thwarted 922 smuggling attempts including 355 drug contrabands (38.5%) from January to the end of September 2018.

“We facilitate trade and traffic of passengers without compromising security of borders and entry points, and with the growing number of passengers and air shipping size in the last years we continue to have full control on all our checkpoints” Musabih explained.

“There are challenges facing customs authorities in countries that have strategic locations. Dubai is not an exception. It’s strategically located between east and west and has spent billions of dirhams to develop its infrastructure, ports and airports. The emirate has also provided an unprecedented host of services and products including the ideclare application which significantly reduces passengers’ time needed to declare different belongings. These advanced services will facilitate passengers’ entry into the country, especially for visitors of EXPO 2020” he added.

                  25KG marijuana  

Inspection customs officers at Dubai International Airport thwarted an attempt to smuggle 25.5 kg of marijuana which were concealed carefully inside loud speakers in the passenger’s suitcase

Lyrica pills

Inspection officers’ vigilance and effective training has also led to thwarting a smuggling of 6720 Lyrica pills which were skillfully concealed in bags of nuts.

275 cases of customs duties evasion

Ibrahim Al Kamali, Director of Passenger Operations at Dubai Customs revealed they checked around 30.2 million suitcases between January and the end of September.

“Dubai International Airport deals with large number of passengers annually. Around 74.5 million passengers used the airport in the first ten months of 2018, which means 248,000 passengers a day. These passengers hail from different backgrounds and they all deserve a good and warm welcome” he said.

During the first 9 months of 2018, 3 counterfeiting and 275 customs duties evasion cases were recorded.

“Thanks to our inspectors’ vigilance we are closely in full control of all checkpoints. Our inspection officers receive best training on body language and different types of drugs, and how to distinguish fake brands from genuine ones” Al Kamali added.