Movement of goods to Syria via Aqaba port sees 900% increase — stakeholder

AMMAN — The rate of work and movement of goods to Syria through the Aqaba port last year increased by more than 900 per cent compared with previous years, according to the Association of Owners of Clearance and Transport Companies.

The Jordanian government provided facilities and incentives to enhance the flow of goods to the Syrian market through the Kingdom, whether via land or through the Aqaba port at the lowest cost, association’s president Deifallah Abu Aqouleh said. 

“The increase in the transport of Syrian goods through the Aqaba port confirms that the facilities provided to facilitate the movement of transit trucks has begun to be reflected on the ground,” Abu Aqouleh said in a statement sent to The Jordan Times on Wednesday.

“The clearance sector has many deals with Syrian commercial and industrial companies, and it has begun to witness remarkable progress in activities since the opening of the land borders and the cancellation of the [back to back] system,” he said in the statement.

Abu Aqouleh expressed his happiness for Jordan’s participation in the Jordanian Trade and Services Exhibition in Damascus, hoping it would contribute to deepening relations with the Syrian private sector, and informing it of procedures, fees and costs related to importing goods.

He noted that the rise in global sea freight wages, prompted many Syrian traders and importers to switch to import operations and supply goods through the Aqaba port instead of Tartous and Latakia ports to reduce costs and save time.

Abu Aqouleh expressed hope that the two countries would reconsider fees imposed on the passage of Jordanian and Syrian trucks transporting transit goods.

Political economy specialist Zayan Zawaneh indicated that in previous years, the Syrian economy was crippled and working at minimal rates due to what was happening in Syria. Therefore, the comparison process is expected to witness a significant increase, but “we have to be wary of the numbers”.

The numbers show that the Syrian-Jordanian rapprochement and relations have a very important role for both countries, which have been affected by the trade and economic moratorium during the previous years, he said.

“The two countries will continue to benefit greatly due to the continuation of the trade movement between them, as it is a win-win situation,” Zawaneh told The Jordan Times on Wednesday.

Zawaneh noted that the relations between the countries are constantly strengthened, especially through the agreement between Jordan, Syria, Egypt and Lebanon regarding gas and electricity supply, which is “a translation of the win-win approach”.

He commended the Jordanian trade and services exhibition currently taking place in Damascus, as well as the facilities carried out by the government to raise the efficiency of the Aqaba port as “a regional port”.

“Raising the port’s efficiency will make Jordan a regional centre for transport via land and sea. Strengthening Jordan’s position as a regional logistics centre for transportation, transit and the transport of goods must be one of the main files in which the government must invest,” Zawaneh noted.