Ahmad Al Khater, Head of Mesaieed Customs Department
The General Authority of Customs (GAC) at the Mesaieed Industrial Port employs strict procedures in its operations, said Ahmad Al Khater, Head of Mesaieed Customs Department.
In an interview published in the GAC’s monthly newsletter, Al Khater said the department ensures incoming and outgoing ships and containers meet the standards and protect intellectual property.
“The movement of incoming and outgoing goods is monitored by Qatar Energy, as it does not allow any ship to dock or leave its berth without the approval of the Mesaieed Port Customs. After checking, the ships and goods are inspected and unloaded after collecting the due fees,” Al Khater said.
The Industrial Security Department also monitors the ships around the clock until the ship leaves the berth, while passenger movement is monitored via a form approved by Qatar Energy, Mesaieed Customs and Mesaieed Passports. This facilitates baggage inspection for arriving and departing seafarers through the x-ray machine.
Al Khater noted that customs officials are on hand to inspect goods and deploy its canine unit if they suspect any items. In cases of violations, the goods are stored in the designated factory until the procedures are completed.
He noted that in case of a breach or smuggling involving a passenger, the goods are seized and transferred to the warehouses of the Maritime Customs Department in land transport until the legal procedures are completed. Meanwhile, the GAC has announced 282,106 as the total number of released data in August. According to the statistics, 250,661 released figures were completed by the Air Cargo and Private Airports Customs, while the maritime Customs Administration completed 24,837 reports. On the other hand, the Land Customs Administration concluded 6,472 reports in the same month.
The Authority stated that 96% of the released data were completed within an hour. The GAC also disclosed that it transferred 28,525 reports to other government agencies for processing. It said China replaced the United States of America as the top import country, and India remained the top export country in August. In the same month, the Authority recorded 410 seizures with a massive haul of hashish as its biggest bust. The Fisheries Department at the Ministry of Municipality emerged as the Best Government Agency in Release Time with an average of 1.66 hours per release.
