Last week, the first intermodal transport to the European Union under a single customs transit document and a single guarantee within TIR system set off from the United Arab Emirates. The cargo will be delivered to its destination by sea.
The operation was launched after the authorities of the United Arab Emirates authorized another customs office for the TIR procedure. The transport left the SAIF zone in Sharjah to the port of Jebel Ali. The cargo will continue to Hamburg, from where it will be transported by land to Olomouc in the Czech Republic.
The logistics operator Kuehne + Nagel runs the transport. The cargo will be taken over by Metrans on the route between Germany and the Czech Republic.
Map source: IRU
The first intermodal transport operation under the TIR is the result of cooperation between the International Transport Union (IRU), transport organizations in the Emirates and the local customs office as well as German and Czech trade unions – BGL and CESMAD Bohemia.
When entrepreneurs see time and cost savings, TIR will become an ideal solution in the UAE and the region,” comments Umberto de Pretto, secretary general of the IRU.
The United Arab Emirates want to implement the TIR procedure more extensively
Currently, preparations are underway to implement the TIR procedure in all seven Emirates. The system will complement the plans for the development of intermodal transport.
The use of TIR in our intermodal transport significantly increases the global competitiveness of the United Arab Emirates. The system provides benefits for the economy, simplifying domestic and international transport and providing access to the global TIR network,” adds Mohammed Jumaa Busaiba, general director of the Federal Customs Office in the Emirates.
The United Arab Emirates are an important commercial center and have a strong economy. The UAE’s strongest trade partners are India and China (both countries are now signatories of the TIR Convention). The TIR Convention offers great potential for improving transit connectivity between ports and free zones and better integrates them with the global supply chain.
Photo: Wikimedia/Imre Solt GFDL ver. 1.2