Land bridge to the Persian Gulf
a. hartrodt Belgium provides alternative transport solutions for the Gulf countries.
Shippers require reliable transport alternatives to the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) following the disruption of access to Jebel Ali port in Dubai (United Arab Emirates, UAE) through the Strait of Hormuz. Therefore, a. hartrodt Belgium now offers a land bridge solution, with containers from Europe being shipped to Jeddah or King Abdullah Port in Saudi Arabia. A local partner unloads the cargo and stores it in a bonded warehouse before it is transported by truck to the Gulf countries. “We can do the delivery within seven to ten days after arrival in Jeddah,” says Naoufal El Zelgami, Trade Lane Manager at a. hartrodt in Antwerp.
Customers need complete customs-compliant documentation
For customers choosing transportation via the Arabian land bridge, a. hartrodt Belgium requires complete customs-compliant documentation. “The documentation must cover both the Saudi transit procedure and the import customs clearance process in the UAE or another country,” explains Naoufal El Zelgami. Comprehensive and accurate paperwork is essential to avoid delays and additional container charges, including demurrage and detention fees.
Control over the entire door-to-door supply chain
“To ensure fast transit, we carefully review the whole set of documentation well in advance,” Naoufal El Zelgami emphasizes. Shipments are delivered by the local partner by truck from Saudi Arabia via the land bridge directly to the consignee. “We are very fast and control the whole supply chain from door to door, based on our House Bill of Lading,” he says. Under merchant haulage, a. hartrodt assumes full responsibility throughout the entire transport process. The first containers that departed the port of Antwerp at the end of March/beginning of April arrived in the UAE in May.
For shipments from Asia, the route via the UAE port of Khor Fakkan Port on the Gulf of Oman is an option. However, according to Naoufal El Zelgami, a. hartrodt has limited control: “We rely on carrier haulage services of the shipping lines.”