King visits Aqaba Container Terminal, inspects shipping, goods movement

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah, accompanied by HRH Crown Prince Hussein, on Monday inspected the shipping and goods movement at the Aqaba Container Terminal (ACT).

King Abdullah called for maintaining the customs clearance process to ensure goods reach all governorates quickly, especially under the current circumstances and during the holy month of Ramadan, according to a Royal Court statement.

His Majesty stressed that all employees must adhere to public health and safety precautions on the port’s facilities.

Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority Chief Commissioner Nayef Bakhit briefed the King on the movement of ships and shipping, in addition to projections for the coming period.

Bakhit noted that all the necessary measures are being taken to maintain the supply chain in this time of crisis to avoid the stockpiling of containers at the port and to ensure the flow of imported food and medicine to the rest of the governorates, the statement said.

His Majesty was also briefed by ACT CEO Steven Yoogalingam on the company's operations during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis, as it has continued working round the clock to serve the national economy.

Yoogalingam added that since the start of the lockdown, ACT has handled over 40 container vessels, 30,000 haulage trucks and 60,000 containers, including vital cargo such as foodstuffs and medicine.

He noted that ACT will continue to safeguard the work environment by implementing health and safety protocols, including social distancing, periodic sanitisation and the provision of personal protective equipment.

ACT is an example of public-private partnerships between the government and APM Terminals, Yogalingham said, adding that ACT — which employs 1,000 people, 99 per cent of whom are Jordanian — operates in line with the highest international standards, enabling the efficient flow of trade to the Kingdom, the statement concluded.