Abu Dhabi Terminals and ATCUAE Sign Deal to Boost Maritime Trade

To facilitate smoother movement of marine cargo Abu Dhabi Terminals, ADT, and the Automobile and Touring Club of the United Arab Emirates, ATCUAE, have entered into a strategic partnership to collaborate and promote the International Roads Transports system - otherwise known as Transports Internationaux Routiers, TRI.

The move will play a part in making import, transit and export customs regimes more efficient at Abu Dhabi Terminals' Khalifa Port.

Abu Dhabi is the fast emerging regional maritime hub for trans-shipment, logistics and allied services.

The ADT-operated Khalifa Port Container Terminal in Abu Dhabi has outpaced the regional growth rate in maritime business and is strategically positioned to facilitate the growth of trade and transport in the Middle East.

On the other hand, the UN-TIR system is a proven trade facilitation tool, as TIR authorised operators can move goods quickly across multiple customs territories, under customs control, using a single guarantee.

ATCUAE is the official TIR associate in the UAE and a strategic partner to the federal and local customs authorities. A partnership between these two parties will streamline procedures while reducing the administrative burden for customs authorities and transport and logistics companies.

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TIR is operating in all seven Emirates and certified by the Customs authorities, however, ADT is the first container terminal operator in the country to sign a strategic partnership agreement to promote TIR.

Ahmed al Mutawa, the CEO of ADT, said, "At Abu Dhabi Terminals, we have always strived to stay ahead of the curve and the partnership with ACTUAE is a step in that direction.

"Demand for our services and maritime traffic has grown exponentially at ADT over the past years. We are also doubling our capacity by the end of 2020, and our terminal will be linked to Etihad Rail in future.

"Therefore, with growing traffic and expansion of our hinterland beyond the UAE’s borders, ADT must promote tools and products that improve not only ease of doing business for our customers but provide seamless transaction experience."

Mohamad bin Sulayem, President of ACTUAE, said: "The most important aspect of this strategic partnership, is to jointly promote the use of the TIR system among our customer portfolio.

"This facilitates trade and the movement of goods with ease at the Khalifa Seaport, under the cover of TIR carnets, in collaboration with the esteemed Federal Customs Authority and National Customs Authorities in UAE."

He added that the TIR system ensures the national agenda for security and safety in the movement of goods with mutual recognition of customs controls, facilitating trade and economic development in the UAE.

At the same time, the TIR system benefits the business as it eliminates financial burdens through TIR guarantees virtually covering customs duties and taxes, thus saving time and money along the entire supply chain.

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