Regulatory requirements

Geodis Wilson’s Director, Francois Coron, explains the best form of attack when dealing with the complexities of regulation in the Middle East to meet customer deadlines.

Somebody from Qatar writes: "Handling equipment, parts and essential components for the extraction and transport of hazardous substances involves stringent safety and regulatory controls, by which we must all abide. But these regulations are in danger of delaying my urgent consignments. How do you resolve these conflicts?

Francois Coron says: The trend in the Middle East region is towards more restrictive regulations on the movement of hazardous materials as pressure to minimise risk to the environment grows. Within the oil and gas sector, such commodities are often in transit and we must increasingly take into account these environmental considerations. 

Respecting these circumstances, the best way to ensure on-time deliveries is by carrying out the expediting work directly with the customer's suppliers at point of origin. Having a global presence, with regional expertise available at origin points around the world, is an advantage in guaranteeing the accuracy of all-important detailed information pertaining to shipments.

In the handling of Dangerous Goods (DG) and HAZMAT cargo, this information flow is an integral part of the supply chain. And clearly abiding by all the requirements for importing of such materials into the various countries in our regions is a priority. These regulations can vary widely depending on the state's jurisdiction and the customer must be fully aware of the detail to be provided on paperwork submitted well in advance of the cargo's arrival.

Storage regulations particularly in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE are being tightened for perfectly good safety reasons. In Jebel Ali, for instance there is a designated HAZMAT zone. Planning ahead of time is essential as often securing fire department and other authority's permission to utilise individual facilities can be a protracted business.

Ironically, in the most restrictive countries, the major part of documentation has to be accomplished at destination and therefore can't be 'pre-arranged'. These arrangements can include such essential approvals as, importer licences, provision of proper warehousing with the necessary safety certification to store the product, Health Quality & Safety approved plans and Material Safety Data Sheets.   

There are other factors making it crucial to have a direct and continuous information flow from origin to destination. Not least the flagging of any delays or hold-ups, which necessitate an alternative solution in order to maintain delivery deadlines. The client needs to be given plenty of notice and be provided with clear alternatives to minimise the impact of any delay. 

An example of such a smooth transit was recently presented by a last minute request from a large local oil & gas company to transport a boiler weighing some 114 tonnes, delayed in production, from Porto Marghera in Italy to Mesaieed in Qatar. Crucially, good relations with the relevant shipping lines enabled, at a suitable cost, an effective transit to be effected within the customer's new deadline of 28 days. With local staff on standby for the vessel's arrival, the consignment was customs cleared immediately and delivered well within the deadline.

Client's demands can on occasion be in conflict with the pace of local regulatory approval. Detailed knowledge and a clear explanation of documentary requirements, where necessary completed before shipping from origin, go a long way in avoiding such conflict. However, if problems do arise at destination, well-qualified people need to be on hand to solve them; it's our job to minimise conflict.

Biography

Francois Coron is Geodis Wilson's , Director of Industrial Projects, Middle-East & India. With a degree in Transit & Management from Le Havre University, Francois has a career stretching over fifteen years with Panalpina before joining GW. He is an Oil & Gas specialist having held logistics management positions in Dubai, Qatar and West Africa.