IRU member and global logistics firm DB Schenker has begun using TIR in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, saving time and CO₂ emissions.
A leading logistics provider in the Middle East and Africa, DB Schenker has run its first TIR operation in the GCC region. The consignment of IT equipment, originating in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), successfully reached its final destination at Dammam Airport in Saudi Arabia in record time.
The TIR system reduced the total transport time on this itinerary, with DB Schenker saving substantial time at border crossings, particularly in Saudi Arabia. With express lanes and digital customs procedures, the TIR truck successfully crossed the Batha border in Saudi Arabia in less than three hours.
Greening border crossings
IRU Director of TIR and Transit Services Tatiana Rey-Bellet welcomed DB Schenker joining the TIR family in the Middle East, “IRU is proud to be able to support our members’ activities in the GCC region with the TIR system. By significantly reducing transit times at borders, TIR also helps to lower CO₂ emissions and further support DB Schenker’s environmental objectives in the Middle East and beyond.”
Eyad Karadsheh, VP of Land Transport for DB Schenker in Middle East and Africa, commented, “DB Schenker is pleased to be collaborating with IRU. TIR is one of the most valuable propositions for the Middle East region, which will upgrade transportation, bring more security to the supply chain, and improve transit time. Therefore, we will keep engaging with IRU on land transport concerns in the Middle East and Africa region, sharing knowledge and finding innovative solutions with stakeholders.”
Continuing to boost trade across the region and beyond, TIR is now operational in five GCC countries: Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. Transport times have been reduced by 50% between Jordan and the UAE via Saudi Arabia, over 70% between Oman and Saudi Arabia, and over 90% between Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
What is TIR?
TIR enables goods to move under customs control across international borders without the payment of duties and taxes that would normally be due at importation (or exportation). A condition of the TIR procedure is that the movement of goods must include transport by road.
Goods move from a customs office of departure in one country to a customs office of destination in another country under cover of an internationally accepted customs transit document, the TIR carnet, which also provides a financial guarantee for the payment of the suspended duties and taxes. The guarantee system is managed by IRU.