Yafa News – Aden – Exclusive

Today, Saturday, in the capital, Aden, the Economic Association Foundation organized a workshop entitled “The Commercial and Navigational Activity of the Port of Aden: Challenges and Available Solutions,” under the patronage of His Excellency the Minister of Transport, Dr. Abdul Salam Hamid, and under the supervision of the Gulf of Aden Ports Corporation.

The participants in the workshop stressed the importance of establishing lasting peace, resolving economic and security problems, granting the port complete freedom to practice its navigational and commercial activities, and lifting all forms of internal and external interference. They also stressed the uniform application of customs duties and taxes at all land and sea ports.

Among the recommendations, the workshop called on the government to make legislation for the port of Aden with the aim of liberating it from the restrictions of some local laws in order to move within a broader framework and in a manner consistent with the international rules applied in port management.

At the beginning of the workshop, the President of the Economic Association Foundation (workshop facilitator), Dr. Hussein Al-Malasi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Transport for the Maritime and Ports Affairs Sector, and Dr. Muhammad Alawi Amzarba, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Gulf of Aden Ports Corporation, thanked them for sponsoring this workshop. He also welcomed all colleagues participating in the workshop from the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Trade and Industry, and the Port of Aden.

Al-Malasi said that the workshop gains its importance from the historical importance that the port of Aden has played throughout the ages as the gateway to the city of Aden and the country in general to the world, as the port was a cultural, commercial and humanitarian link that influenced and influenced the rest of the countries of the world throughout history. The port of Aden was one of the leading ports in the world.” .

Al-Malasi added: “It can be said in general that restoring the prosperous historical role of the Port of Aden requires searching for huge investments to develop the physical, technical, human and service infrastructure to raise its competitive ability to reach its level in the region’s ports and benefiting from the expertise of the foreign and local private sector to invest in aspects of strategic logistical planning and setting priorities.” Objectives to be implemented.

At the workshop, Captain Ali Muhammad Al-Subhi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Transport for the Maritime and Ports Affairs Sector, delivered a speech by the Minister of Transport, in which he pointed out that the activity of the Port of Aden was affected as a result of the war launched by the Houthi militias, and the blocking of roads, which affected the movement of goods between the governorates, as well as the imposition of some taxes, in addition to The Houthis imposed customs points in areas under their control, adding that among the impacts during the previous period were the Corona crisis and the Ukrainian war, in addition to the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip and the resulting threat to international navigation in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

Sobhi added that this led to an increase in the economic cost of maritime transport and a decrease in navigation traffic due to the rise in insurance and maritime transport costs, which made matters worse, noting that the Ministry of Transport and the Gulf of Aden Ports Corporation made efforts to transfer ship inspection from the port of Jeddah to the port of Aden. This has been achieved and we hope that it will contribute to reducing the cost of maritime transport. The Chamber of Commerce is also working to persuade importers to operate direct flights from the country of origin to the port.

For his part, Dr. reviewed Mohammed Amzarba, CEO – Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Gulf of Aden Ports Corporation, during his speech on the sidelines of the workshop about the history of the port of Aden and its development since British colonialism and the subsequent development of the port during the past decades, as well as the negative impact on the navigational activity in it, and he pointed to the importance of the port at the regional level. And the global.

He added that during the period from 2015 AD until today, the port faced many challenges that would prevent the port from regaining its regional competitive capabilities despite the high handling of goods imported into the local market as a result of the uniqueness of the Port of Aden in receiving containers in particular.

Three working papers were presented at the workshop on the activity of the Port of Aden. The first paper was entitled “An analysis of the reasons for the decline in the role of the Port of Aden locally and regionally,” presented by both Dr. Muhammad Alawi Amzarba, Dr. Hatem Basarda, and the second paper was titled “International Factors Affecting the Commercial and Navigational Activity of the Port of Aden 2015-2023 AD,” and it was presented by Captain Ali Muhammad Al-Subhi, Dr. Saleh Shaif Al-Qamali, while the third paper was presented by A. Khaldoun Ahmed Hassan Abdullah, Dr. Sami Muhammad Qasim, which was entitled “Challenges and Obstacles in the Novel Areas of Seaports and Their Impact on Commercial Movement and the Private Sector (Aden Port).”

Before the conclusion of the workshop, the floor was opened for discussion and many observations, viewpoints and inquiries were raised, which were answered by the President of the Aden Ports Company and the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Transport for the Maritime and Ports Affairs Sector.

Recommendations:

After a serious discussion of the working papers, the workshop came up with a number of recommendations, the most important of which are the following:

1. The working papers and discussions in the workshop emphasized the importance of exploiting the strategic location of the port of Aden by promoting the port and accompanying it to the level of the region’s ports.

2. The participants recommended to the responsible authorities to quickly exploit the port backside by establishing a logistical area and working to deepen the docks and the navigational channel, similar to what is done in neighboring competing ports.

3. The working papers stressed the importance of developing a national strategy for maritime security, forming the National Maritime Security Committee, and the necessity of the port’s compliance with international ship security agreements and updating the security plan to confront piracy operations and other threats.

4. The participants stressed the importance of establishing lasting peace, resolving economic and security problems, granting the port complete freedom to practice its navigational and commercial activities, and lifting all forms of internal and external interference.

5. The participants stressed that achieving the possible and available benefit from the Aden Container Terminal requires:

• Automating all procedures at the station to reduce container exchange time and using the best electronic systems, including the TOS system.

• Modernizing the station’s infrastructure and providing it with the latest equipment to improve the station’s efficiency and effectiveness and reduce carbon emissions.

• Gradual use of the smart port used globally in container terminals.

• Reviewing and updating the systems in the station and qualifying workers to keep pace with technological developments and what is compatible with the concept of smart ports.

• Performing periodic maintenance of bridge cranes to reduce the length of time container ships remain at the terminal.

• Modernizing the development of supporting services at the terminal, such as container maintenance and cleaning, and modernizing ship repair workshops.

6. The necessity of training the cadres in the port and the container terminal by activating the maritime training center in the port of Aden and in the training centers in international ports and making field visits to advanced ports to benefit from the experiences applied to them.

7. The participants recommended that the government work to develop a long-term strategy and vision to enhance the competitive position of the port in a way that is compatible with the ports of countries in the region.

8. The workshop stressed the government’s implementation of special legislation for the port of Aden with the aim of liberating it from the restrictions of some local laws in order to move within a broader framework and in a manner consistent with the international rules applied in port management.

9. The need to work to separate the overlap between government bodies and stop the interference of the powers of the free zones in the lands of the port of Aden, and the container terminal in particular, with the need to stop encroachment on the port precincts and the back areas and implement the recent decision of the Council of Ministers in this regard.

10. Establishing an integrated logistics center with the aim of entering all data into the port, and linking them together in order to track shipments and goods, determine the locations of ships, organize their entry and exit, as well as link surveillance cameras to the port; To follow up on all port activities.

11. The working papers emphasized the importance of working with international organizations to enhance international and regional cooperation, improve maritime security in the region, and support the Regional Center for Monitoring and Combating Piracy in the Gulf of Aden while providing joint maritime protection from the Coast Guard forces and the international coalition.

12. The discussants recommended the importance of searching for international or regional partners in order to develop and modernize the commercial and navigational activity of the Port of Aden through partnership operations in investment, development and management.

13. Participants stressed the importance of identifying a single security body that will develop and implement the security plan in the port facilities and eliminating the multiplicity and duplication of security agencies in the port area.

14. Applying customs duties and taxes uniformly at all land and sea ports, similar to what is applied in the port of Aden.

15. Combating smuggling on the coastal strip.

16. -Supporting security agencies, including the Coast Guard, with means of protection and introducing a cybersecurity system.

17. Forming a national center to exchange security information from relevant authorities and activating the Regional Maritime Center (Remisc) to exchange information with the countries of the region in accordance with the Djibouti Code of Conduct.

18. The participants recommended that the government work to open roads, remove innovations, and abolish illegal points and levies to facilitate the movement of goods between governorates.

19. The participants recommended to the relevant authorities to liberalize the transport of goods and abolish any form of monopoly on land transport, especially the transport of goods from the port of Aden to the rest of the governorates.

20. -Attendees pointed out the importance of working to establish a center for storage and logistics services in the port of Aden.

21. The discussants recommended studying the possibilities of developing shipyards and raising their efficiency and their economic role in stimulating navigation and commercial traffic in the port of Aden.

22. Addressing the legal and institutional problem between ports and their adjacent areas, whether through institutional measures such as establishing a unified institution that guarantees the ports, their development area, and their nearby adjacent areas, including free zones, industrial zones, and customs authorities. Or through executive and administrative procedures by forming joint committees for various entities to develop joint studies and plans among them and unify efforts to serve the vision of comprehensive national development.

23. The discussants hinted at the necessity of constructing dry ports and logistical centers in Aden Governorate and between the governorates to stimulate the navigational and commercial movement of the Port of Aden.

24. The deliberations stressed the need to enhance the port’s capabilities, including cranes, cranes, and spaces to receive ships.

25. The workshop called on the government to complete the transfer of inspection to the port of Aden and to reconsider the list of dual-use goods issued in 2015.

26. The workshop stressed the necessity of canceling any cash demands made by transport company agents, in addition to shipping lines, before shipping.

27. Restoring the activity of Aden’s refineries, in particular the activity of the oil port.

28. Implementing a single window for all parties, through creating an electronic system that begins with recording shipment data from the country of origin, then entering procedures by the port, then customs procedures, and then other parties, in order to facilitate time and cost.