Mulki calls for working through Eid holiday at Aqaba terminal

AMMAN — Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) Chief Commissioner Hani Mulki on Sunday called for continuing work during the Eid Al Fitr holiday at the Aqaba Container Terminal (ACT) to deal with the increasing movement of merchandise at the facility.

The decision is also aimed at completing the handling of 3,800 ready containers and sending them to their destinations, Mulki added at a meeting with relevant parties in the sectors of transport, clearance, customs, agriculture, standards, food and drug, and ACT.

The holiday for the Muslim feast marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan will be observed between Friday, July 17, and Monday, July 20.

Mulki said improving the levels of coordination and cooperation among all stakeholders will enhance the flow of merchandise to and from ACT, which has a become an important regional terminal for its distinguished location on the Red Sea, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

ASEZA has already started drawing up a development plan to expand the terminal and its piers, in addition to preparing new storage facilities to reach a final and comprehensive solution to the delay which sometimes happens at peak hours of handling containers, Mulki said.

He also stressed that ASEZA will deal with the situation transparently, and it will not abandon its duties and responsibilities towards all parties that were harmed due the delay at ACT.

Merchants and importers have been complaining about delays in handling shipments at the terminal that are causing major losses for them.

An increase in the prices of some food items, a shortage of certain commodities and the closure of some small factories are all expected soon if the delay in freight handling at ACT is not resolved, the Foodstuff Traders Association has warned.

Last week, Amman Chamber of Commerce President Issa Murad said efforts are under way to resolve the issue of delays at the terminal.

Also last week, Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour stressed the government’s commitment to addressing the issue and finding a solution.

Data released by ACT and reported by Petra on Friday indicated that container movement at the terminal increased by 10 per cent this Ramadan, compared to the same period last year.

During the first 21 days of Ramadan, 14,097 containers were loaded, and left ACT, compared to 12,845 in the same period last Ramadan.

ACT received 4,428 outgoing filled containers in the first 21 days of this Ramadan, with an average of 211 containers a day, 69 per cent higher than the previous Ramadan when it registered 2,624 containers, with a daily average of 131 containers. ACT said it registered a record on Friday when it loaded 905 trucks in one day.