DUBAI, United Arab Emirates-Dubai Customs and FedEx Express (FedEx), a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) and the world’s largest express transportation company, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for using the electronic business channel Business To Government (B2G), which is the most recent initiative in the field of electronic transactions introduced by Dubai Customs to its clients.
FedEx is the first express transportation company to utilize the Mirsal 2 B2G Courier Service with Dubai Customs.
The signing of the MOU took place today on the sidelines of Dubai Customs’ participation at the GITEX Exhibition for information technology, which is being held at Dubai World Trade Center.
On behalf of Dubai Customs, Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, Executive Director of Client Management Division signed the MOU while Mr. Hamdi Osman, Senior Vice President, Operations for the Middle East, Indian Subcontinent and Africa represented FedEx Express.
As per the MOU, once FedEx inputs cargo information into its internal systems, the data will be automatically transferred to Dubai Customs’ Mirsal 2 system. The Mirsal 2 system was officially launched in the end of March 2010 to accelerate the process of completing transactions and clearing them electronically.
Dubai Customs launched B2G for its clients as part of its comprehensive customs E-clearance system, Mirsal 2, which was developed in-house for two consecutive years and officially launched in March 2010. By implementing B2G, the client can transfer his declarations automatically from his own internal systems to Mirsal 2 and complete all customs clearance transactions and e-payment easily, smoothly and securely; thus, providing attractive features to the client such as time, effort and costs saving.
Mr. Musabih said: “We believe that our B2G initiative will provide numerous advantages to the companies using this system including entering information only once in the clients’ internal system which entails reusing them for submitting customs declarations, besides reducing human mistakes, quick clearing of customs declarations, eliminating the need of visiting customs operations counters, reducing the cost of customs declarations and providing a 24/7 accessible service.”
Mr. Musabih expressed his appreciation to FedEx as the largest express transportation company in the world and its strategic business relationship with Dubai Customs as it is considered among the top companies dealing with Customs. FedEx was the first express transportation company to enter into an agreement for customs e-clearance of cargo in 2005.
“We have had solid relations with FedEx since it commenced operations in Dubai in 1989. It contributes much to the trade and economic growth movements in the UAE,” he added.
Mr. Osman commended the great attention Dubai Customs gives to its clients by simplifying the procedures and providing high quality services.
Mr. Osman further noted that using B2G helps simplify procedures significantly, enabling pre-clearance of goods and freight electronically, even before arrival in Dubai. This enables the company to track and trace submitted declarations on a round-the-clock basis.
“This initiative greatly benefits our customers. It reduces paper documentation due to the process being fully automated and provides even more comprehensive and timely visibility of a shipment’s details. We are honored to work with Dubai Customs on this project and share our experience on the technology front,” Mr. Osman said.