Third party to assess performance of container handling firm

AMMAN — The Cabinet on Saturday dedicated its meeting to discuss issues related to the company managing handling at Aqaba Port, Aqaba Container Terminal (ACT).

The company is accused of slow processing of cargoes and, consequently, causing losses for local businesses.  

The government directed the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA), in coordination with other stakeholders, to hire a  firm to serve as a neutral third party and assess ACT's performance and compliance with the terms and conditions included in its contract with ASEZA, and report its findings, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The Cabinet also recommended that ASEZA work out a mechanism to improve coordination and streamline the work of oversight agencies concerned with container handling at the terminal. The entire oversight process should be managed by ASEZA, the Cabinet said, which should make sure that the port operation continues uninterrupted around-the-clock.  

The Cabinet also stressed the importance of taking necessary procedures to develop Ben Hayyan Aqaba International Laboratories, a joint project between ASEZA and the European Union Commission established to enhance public health streamlining trade in the zone, Jordan and the region.

The Cabinet urged increasing the lab’s efficiency and providing it with needed equipment and tools to conduct all lab tests at any time without having to take samples to Amman.

In addition, the Council of Ministers authorised ASEZA to examine the issue of port congestion fees — imposed on ships by Maersk, the company managing the port — and take the necessary procedures to completely cancel such levies. 

Also on Saturday, the chambers of industry and commerce blamed the government for delays in handling containers, calling for compensations to importers who incurred losses as a result of delay.

In a joint statement cited by Petra, the Jordan and Amman chambers of industry and commerce called on the government to intervene and find solutions to address the issue.

The chambers also highlighted the significance of drawing up necessary policies and plans that guarantee such problems will not reoccur, reserving the private sector’s “right to resort to court to demand compensation for the losses and damage incurred”.

East Amman Investors Industrial Association on Saturday also demanded ACT to compensate the industrial sector for the losses it ‎incurred as a result of slow processing of their consignments at the terminal, Petra reported.

At a press conference, association president Iyad Abu Haltam said that many companies affiliated with the association have decided to file lawsuits.