Business & Money | Thursday 9 January, 2020 2:20 am |

Figures released by Dubai Customs showed that the Creek Customs Center and Diera Wharfage Center have dealt with 18,000 vessels in 2019 compared to 15,603 in 2018.  

During his evening tour to the two centers, Director General of Dubai Customs, Ahmed Mahboob Musabih pointed out the high quality services provided to clients have contributed significantly in facilitating traffic of vessels and speeding up the declaration process. 

“At Dubai Customs we keep developing our services, and this helps our different customs centers, including the Creek and Deira Wharfage Centers, achieve the overall vision of securing the borders and supporting legitimate trade. 

In his evening tour, Musabih was accompanied by Abdullah Mohammed Al Khaja, Executive Director of Clients Management Division, Farid Hassan Al Marzouqi, Executive Director, Human Resources, Finance and Administration Division, Ahmed Al Daleel, Director of Coastal Customs Centers Management, Ibrahim Kamali, Director of Passenger Operations Department, and Shuaib Al Suwaidi, Director of Customs Intelligence Department.

“Dubai Creek is a very important trading port and for that we help in enhancing and facilitating trade through it,” Musabih said. “This will lead to better investment opportunities in fulfilment of the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai of turning Dubai into an economic capital as listed in the 3rd principle, of the eight principles of Dubai.

“Maritime trade is essential for the local economy. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum always stresses the significance of this sector and demands more support be given to it towards a more vibrant and diversified economy” Musabih said.

The two centers are equipped with advanced devices including inspection smart drones and submarines. Dubai Customs has released a booklet to guide all sailors and dhow captains into best ways of moving around the Creek. It was released in Arabic, English and Persian. 

The Coastal Customs Centers Management has launched a number of initiatives this year to facilitate traffic and berthing of vessels using the latest artificial intelligence applications, including the (Smart Vessel Berthing System) which helps vessels load and unload their goods with the help of an advanced AI based service. It was built in-house by Dubai Customs employees to facilitate traffic of vessels through the historic waterway. 

The “Smart Vessel Berthing System” enables trading vessels finalize their transactions online. They can register at the operations room of Dubai Creek Customs Center which will direct the vessels to the waiting quays using the Smart Vessel Berthing System. The vessels are then directed to certain wharfs to load or unload their goods. Dubai Creek Port deals with around 50 other ports in 9 countries. 

Another initiative is using virtual reality to train inspection officers and equip them with the required skills to effectively do their job. This, coupled with the most advanced technologies and tools, help inspection officers effectively detect suspicious shipments and thwart smuggling attempt.