The ceremony was held at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel in the presence of H.E. Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Chairman of Dubai Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation, and H.E. Ahmed Butti Ahmed, Executive Director Chairman of Dubai Maritime City Authority, and several department officials and senior representatives from shipping lines, and trading and logistics companies.

 

On this occasion, Mr. Yusuf Sahlawi, Senior Executive Director of Corporate Affairs at Dubai Customs, welcomed the attendees and thanked Dubai Maritime City Authority for taking the lead in organising the Dubai Maritime Week 2012, pointing out that the maritime sector has major significance in the history of Dubai and has played a crucial role in the growth and development of Dubai. He said, "Thanks to the major developments that have taken place in Dubai’s maritime sector, which has relied on a well–defined vision in planning, execution and government cooperation, the emirate has successfully assumed a distinctive position on the global trade map, becoming a key link for the movement of trade in the region between the east and west."

 

He emphasized the importance of strengthening cooperation with partners from the shipping lines and shippers, and trade, clearance and logistics companies, which contributed to the success of strategic plans for the development of this sector, which is based on a clear vision of developing and strengthening the competitive advantages of the emirate on the global and regional maritime level. It also aims to embody the vision and directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, to create an integrated environment for the improvement and development of the maritime sector in Dubai and activation of its contribution to support the economy and boost the overall development.

Al Sahlawi explained that the customs facilities and the state-of-the-art infrastructure at seaports have played a significant role in the growth of business in this sector and reaffirming Dubai’s position as a major trade hub in the region.

 

This drives Dubai Customs to strive harder to develop and further improve services offered at these ports to meet the expectations of customers and partners, including shipping lines, and clearing and logistics companies.

 

Al Sahlawi added: "the accomplishments we have achieved at our sea, land and air ports would not have been possible without your cooperation, support and the confidence you have shown in the services we offer and the procedures we follow, which give the highest priority to the customers’ requirements and the country’s welfare, to simplify and speed up the testing procedures and clearance, via modern technology devices and systems that have been developed according to the highest standards of customs practices globally to benefit Dubai Customs, our clients and the economy, while also protecting the local and international community against smuggling. One of the newest technological adaptations we use is Mirsal 2, an integrated electronic customs system that is based on a modern concept of customs operations, aimed at supporting the economy, facilitating legitimate trade movement, accelerating business procedures and advancing quality of services delivered to customers. It enables customers to use the services and complete all customs clearance transactions electronically around-the-clock, saving them and our employees a lot of time and effort. More than 5 million clearance transactions are conducted through it annually.” 

 

The developments in clearance technical systems have led to a 325% growth in the number of transactions conducted this year in less than 10 minutes, compared to 2009. These transactions represent 82% of the total transactions. Moreover, 98% of unsuspicious transactions (that is, transactions that do not pose a threat) are assessed by the risk engine, and customs clearance is done in less than one minute from the time the customer submits the data electronically through Mirsal 2.

 

During the ceremony, the guests watched a documentary about the history and the success of Dubai Customs and its achievements in the past, especially its support for the trade and shipping sector in the emirate. Following that, His Highness Sheikh Majid bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, H.E. Sultan Bin Sulayem and H.E. Ahmed Butti Ahmed honored several specialized companies from the maritime industry, which collaborated with Dubai Customs to develop and promote trade and attract foreign investment to the UAE and Dubai in particular, through the excellent facilities and services to traders and business owners.