Business at the Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafz), which already has close to 2000 national and multinational companies within its confines compared with 1,644 at the end of 1999, will be greatly facilitated by ongoing infrastructure projects including road construction. The new roads, designed to improve traffic movement through the port and free zone entrances and along internal streets, are part of an ambitious programme to make Jafz more attractive to entrepreneurs and traders.
Under construction is a new bridge linking Jebel Ali Port and Jafz with Shaikh Zayed Road, close to the main gate, where a three-lane dual access system will serve only container and general cargo traffic. The bridge is designed to handle increased business at the port and free zone.
An extensive Food Court, complete with a range of restaurants and general store facilities, will soon be a prominent site in the area.
Several projects have been completed in the free zone area including the new Lease Office Building-15 and a number of banks. Etisalat has been providing its full range of services to companies in Jafz.
New administrative procedures are in place with plans to abbreviate lease agreements, making services faster and more efficient.
The authorities have announced they are finalising MyJafz, a portal dedicated to online services for Jafz clients. Last year, a portal named MyDPA was launched for Dubai Ports Authority customers. It represented a milestone in electronic services that DPA has been offering, said the Authority.
Among the benefits MyDPA offers is reduced manifest processing time, which now takes only 10 minutes, compared to one hour. DPA hopes to make this process instantaneous in the near future.
Other services DPA is contemplating include receiving customer instructions over the Net, online access to DPA accounts and financial transactions through virtual banking.
DPA and service providers had announced at Gitex 2000 the new Web-enabled shipping solution Afsys.
Afsys is designed to ease the operational complications faced by shipping agents and freight forwarders in the region.
Using the latest in Oracle technology, the multiple level interface acts as a comprehensive integrated system for booking, manifesting, equipment control and voyage accounts in addition to detailed customer management software.
The addition to the number of enterprises in Jafz, the expansion of the infrastructure and the general improvement in services were hailed by Jafz chairman and Dubai Ports Authority managing director Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem.
"These milestone results, particularly in the areas of infrastructure development, reduction of red tape, streamlining of services and marketing campaigns, support Jafz's concerted dedication to upgrading the scale and scope of customer service," he said.
