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Dubai / WAM
Dubai Customs has launched ‘Smart Vessel Berthing System’, a new disruptive berthing service for the vessels using the Dubai Creek (Khor Dubai).
The vessels will load and unload their goods with the help of an advanced AI based service, built in-house by Dubai Customs employees to facilitate traffic of vessels through the historic waterway.
The launch ceremony was attended by Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, Sultan bin Sulayem, DP World Group Chairman and CEO and Chairman of Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation, and Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, Director-General of Dubai Customs.
The new system will enable trading vessels finalise their transactions online. They can register at the operations room of Dubai Creek Customs Centre 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.
Dr Al Zeyoudi said that the new service is a turning point for hundreds of vessels using the waterway. “Khor Dubai is an integral part of the emirate’s trade structure and has always been vital in connecting Dubai with the region and the world. Trade through the Dubai Creek supports foreign trade of Dubai and the UAE, and plays an important role in diversifying the national economy in fulfilment of the vision of our wise leadership.”
In turn, bin Sulayem stated, “The Creek is a very important port in Dubai. It is still shaping the soul of Dubai, now running freely keeping alive its vibrant heartbeat and linking the sea back to the sea.”
He added that diversification in trade is essential for Dubai to keep the momentum within its quest to be the world’s economic capital and towards fulfilment of big projects such as the Dubai Silk Road, one of the main items of the 50-Year Charter.
Dubai external trade through the Dubai Creek during the last 10 years (2009-2018) made more than AED122 billion, and cargo weighed 10.564 million tonnes of different goods including textiles, mobile phones, air conditioners, electrical
appliances, etc.