Dubai Customs has recently executed a new experiment of transforming into manual goods clearance system in case of power outages. The experiment, which was conducted successfully, aimed at ensuring continuity of work in such cases, and it was carried out by local cadres at Dubai Customs without any reliance on other consulting firms.
Mrs. Nadia Kamali, Director - Audit and Risk Management, at Dubai Customs, said that carrying out of the experiment is part of an emergency plan developments of work mean tasks and procedures according to potential risks specified by Audit and Risk Management at Dubai Customs. One of these risks is the possibility of breakdown of customs systems due to power outages, specially “Mirsal 2” System and related systems such as inspection and clearance systems. Al Kamali added: “With the successful experiment, we know what should be done in such cases to guarantee continuity of work and normal delivery of services to clients in order to achieve one of the axels of strategic plan of Dubai Customs which includes protecting society and enhancing economic development in Dubai.
Al Kamali explained that the experiment took place in Jebel Ali Customs due to the fact that it is one of the outlets that deal with thousands of shipments daily. The experiment started with disconnecting electrical current without informing clients who were present at the centre. Transformation into manual clearance system was done smoothly and promptly.
Mr. Mohammed Rashid Al Mazroui, Senior Manager of Risk Management Section said that products have been categorized within the emergency plan according to certain clearance priorities where medications, food products, and perishable materials take the lead. Counter officers resumed their work manually during the experiment, and were enhanced by officers working in other areas to face the new load and pressure and lessen overcrowding as much as possible.
During the experiment, transactions were done within the time frame according to the emergency plan that specifies 9 minutes for each transaction to be done. The experiment lasted for one hour.
To carry out the plan that was set up earlier this year, Dubai Customs formed an emergency plan team work, part of which was in charge of operations to be done in case of power outages, whether due to internal or external factors, and transformation to manual work. The team had been trained on the plan before, and the experiment was carried out on that basis. The team divided tasks among its members: some members helped clients, some helped counter officers, and others manually inspected cargo.
The experiment will be applied to all 19 customs centers and outlets of Dubai Customs.