Seaport and Customs in United Arabs Emirates (Shrajah) - Research Paper Example

Seaport and customs in United Arabs Emirates (Shrajah). Introduction The port in any part of the world is the getaway to the region and is a crucial and vital sector to the economic growth of the region. Shrajah customs is a department charged with the regulation and smooth flow of port activities in Unite Arab Emirates. The department plays a very central role in the economy of the region as a revenue collector from the Imports and the exports inform of taxes. The department main mission is to efficiently utilize the already installed infrastructure to the fullest in terms of customs and spearhead head economic development. The mission of the department include · To collect revenue · Protect Sharjah against smugglers · Detect and deter narcotic trafficking. · Protect consumer interests The department main values include respect and professionalism ensuring accountability integrity and innovation (Department of seaport and customs in Shrajah). The paper presents department in the region, its importance in the supply chain in the region and the transport system and security installed. The data collection is mainly from credible secondary sources. The paper presents challenges faced in the process of data collection. Impact of ports in the region and economy The ports Port Khalid, Khor Fakkan and Hamriyah Free Zone have greatly influenced the economic activities in the region and the customs ' department has a role in the growth that is evident in the region. The section on the impact of the port covers both the local level, national level and regional level. Impact of ports in the local level The sections raise critical questions that require a thorough analysis (Oxford Business Group). To understand better the impact of the port at the local level, the research uses Hamriyah Free Zone port to clearly articulate the economic impact. The city is among seven emirates that make up the United Arabs Emirates and boasts of great economic growth. The growth is as a result of port and a vibrant Shrajah customs department. In the recent years there has been an increased development infrastructure in terms of roads, port facilities and social amenities as hospitals and schools. The port is the main gateway the east coast in the UAE. The port serves Kalba, Dibba and Khorfakkan linking them to the vast Indian Ocean. This has opened up the trade and many goods come from African coast and Asian coast (fDiIntelligence). The port has experienced a recent increase in cargo that made the His Highness Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi increase the depth of the port to 16m. This has made the port be able to handle big containers. There has been the development of a free zone in Sharjah that has in turn attracted many investors positively impacting on the local people in terms of employment and better lives. The ports alone employees over two thousand people directly and over thirty thousand people indirectly. The port has also experienced an increase in the number of visits as shown by the data below for the year 2009. The figures have been increasing ever since 2009. Passenger movements for 2009[Dep14]. Month Total passenger movement January 4961 February 4452 March 4951 April 4797 May 5046 June 5070 July 5404 August 5421 September 5116 October 5308 November 5386 December 5538 Impact of the port at national and regional level The impact of the port to the national level has been greatly influenced by the work that Shrajah customs is doing. The region has experienced great improvement in trade and economic activities. The Shrajah customs department ensures a smooth flow of activities and speeds up the paper work involved in the movement of goods. The union of Arabs emirates is depended on oil for its economy. However, recent studies reveal that the oil reserves will run dry by the year 2016. This has made the states start to concentrate to other sources of income. The Shrajah customs department plays a big role in the collection of taxes and ensuring that there is no smuggling of goods in and out of the ports under its jurisdictions. The efforts of the department have been evident by a report showing an increase in 2010. The report by Engineer Rashid Al Leem a leader and director General in Seaports and Customs Department reveal the summary. Trade growth[Oxf08]. The year Non oil based foreign trade growth (%) $ billions 2011 24 51.3 2010 44 24.5 The increase is due to sound and improved strategies and formulation of procedures that attract investors and the trade free zone is a great boost to attract foreign investors. Commodities imported in 2011[fDi13]. commodity expenditure in $(Billions) Gold 18.7 vehicles 3.7 lubricants 2.3 steel pipes 1.2   Important of supply chains in seaport development Modern ports have to embrace supply chain management and inculcate the policies into their operations. The benefits of this fact are huge and aid in the acquisition, smooth flow of goods and delivery. The inseparable role of ports in supply chain management that aim at satisfying the customer. This is by availing the necessary infrastructures to ensure the ships dock and the process of commerce is smooth (Martino). This is evident by the customs ' authority adopting the single window management system. The system allows the customer to track the follow of his goods through the port and on transits until the delivery. Transport systems and security Shrajah customs department has put policies in place that ensure goods on transits are safe and the port process of goods in terms of paper work is most efficient. One of the department core mandate is to eliminate smuggling (Rudolph) in the ports it manages. Transportation and security matters in the industry are thing that are considered as the most important thing. As the company tries to win the trust of its customers, transportation of cargo from the seaports has been a serious issue. This is because of the rising issues of theft and terrorism. This has made the industry lay security measures to neutralize the issue. At the seaport, there is a port of entry and border clearance, safety standards and international equipment, efficiency of goods transfer, cargo crime, cargo liability, and other security measures. This is to ensure that act of theft and terrorism is not entertained in the industry (Rudolph, 117). Transportation of cargo has been efficient since there are measures in place to deal with theft and many other things. The use of Computer-savvy criminals has been used to prevent theft cases. However, there are factor that hinders transportation by road. Thing like multiple users of the transport system, traffic congestions. Other things include; intermodal aspect of both international and domestic trade. These basic things affect the industry in the transportation sector. Works Cited Dep14: , (Department of seaport and customs in Shrajah), Oxf08: , (Oxford Business Group), fDi13: , (fDiIntelligence), Read More