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Shipping goods Comments from various staff who have shipped goods/moved houses within Dubai and overseas. Contacts and Phone numbers change constantly I've done my best but I'm sorry if they have changed
The comments listed are personal opinions of staff members only and vary greatly.
MOVING TO DUBAI
1 American Staff member A few things... 2 Australian Staff Member
3 Scottish Staff member
Getting your shipped belongings into Dubai (current as at
January, 2010)
I
sent a palette load of boxes by ship from the UK to Dubai (delivery to
port only) and this was the process I went through:
1
Once you've been notified by the shipping agent that your cargo has
arrived and the manifest has been cleared, go to their office and pay
the admin and handling charges (this is often determined by the size of
your shipment). Make sure that you get full documentation from them
showing that you have done so. The Bill of Lading number must be
marked on the documents and correctly entered into the Customs computer
system. If you have an Express Bill of Lading, you don't appear to
need the original document (my UK shipping company emailed me a copy).
2
Now go to Dubai Customs House on Al Mina Road. Be prepared. You will
be besieged by touts desperate to convince you that you cannot process
the documentation yourself. The touts will ask for anything from 25 to
60 AED on top of the official charges. This is not necessary as the
process is straightforward and very quick.
3
As you enter the main hall, go to the counters on the right where the
signs say "Let me help you". The Emirati staff are very helpful and
speak good English. (The touts will try to push you aside once they
realise you're not going to engage their services or, in my case,
deliberately try to confuse you by telling you that you are in the wrong
queue. Be strong!) Give the officer your papers. If everything is
in order, he will stamp them, charge you 75 AED and direct you to the
other side of the room to get your Port clearance. This cost me 30 AED.
Once you have this, you can pick up your cargo.
4
My cargo amounted to 8 boxes of books and clothes - big enough not to
fit in the hire car but nowhere near a container load. There are
companies that organise "pick-up taxis", but they can be quite
expensive. A cheaper option is to go to the sand lots at the sea end
of Kuwait Street. There you will find groups of workers and pick-up
drivers available for casual work. They will rush your car as soon as
you slow down, eager to convince you that you need at least 4 workers.
I hired a driver with pick-up and ended up with 2 "helpers". This was
one more than I really needed.
5
On arriving at Jebel Ali Port, you will need to obtain a Day Pass (5 AED
per person) from the Port Authorities. These are issued in the office
to the right of the Main Gate. I went with the driver and left the
workers outside. The authorities would probably have not let us all in
at one time.
6
Jebel Ali is huge inside, so make sure that you have a contact phone
number for the warehouse that you are trying to find and clear
directions as to how to find them. (It's all done by roundabout
numbers!!)
7
The warehouse staff will probably load your boxes for you but you need
to take care of the documentation. If your documents have been stamped
with the red "Need to be inspected", you will have to take your stuff
back to the police inspection area beside the main gate. Go into the
office and present your papers. It's up to the officer whether or not
your boxes need to be x-rayed. I was lucky and didn't have to go
through that. Once that's done, take the stamped document back to the
warehouse, where they will issue you with a formal release paper.
8
Now, go back to the office where you got the inspection stamp and go to
the counter to have your release paper stamped. This costs 5 AED.
That's it!!
9
It's a good idea to get your pick-up driver's mobile number, as getting
lost is par for the course. I paid 100 AED for the driver plus pick-up
and 50 AED each for the workers.
MOVING FROM DUBAI
Shipping Companies 1 Penguin Shipping LLC has also been recommended. They are agents for IAL Container Line (UK) Limited.
2
Zuhal Shipping
Packing & Removals
I
found this organisation very efficient, careful, and the best value around
after 8 quotations
Move Manager @ 050 421 7579 I have had the opportunity of using Zuhal Shipping for my personal effects to Dallas. From the very first conversation I had with Mr. Tahir Ali regarding my need, he had been nothing but extremely helpful. He was always there when I wanted to talk or discuss and always came up with solutions to my problems or concerns. The packing staff who visited us was very personable and very professional. They knew exactly how to pack our most fragile and most personal belongings to our utmost satisfaction. I would highly recommend Zuhal Shipping to anyone who needs anything shipped anywhere.
3 GAC Not recommended 4
Suggested companies:
ADSA Phone
9714 2826999
FreightWorks
Phone 9714 2044463 9714 2044468
Worldwide Packing &
Removers (division of INCHCAPE) Phone 9714 3038644
Things to consider:
4-6 quotes (assuming the companies you’ve contacted are all of the same ‘quality’) can produce varying estimates of the size of your shipment: my estimates ranged from 20—29 cubic metres
Door-to-door cost estimates varied by Dhs 3 000 (this is not attributable to the size of the shipment alone)
Ensure your quote is broken down into its various components (approx 6 categories) so that you can do a proper comparison (eg. There was a Dhs 1000 difference between the charge for sea transport over the same distance)
If you do not want your shipment to arrive immediately, store in Dubai; it’s usually cheaper for North America or the UK. One month’s free storage is offered by most companies; charges are approx Dhs 400/mo after that. Check on where/how it will be stored
If it’s possible/desirable--particularly if your destination is a port city--consider a door-to-port option; clear your shipment/handle customs/arrange for movers yourself; it’s ‘do-able’ (check with the shipping agent re paperwork etc) Eg. The reduction on a shipment Dubai/Vancouver was approximately Dhms 5000. Also, ask for more than one quote for the handling agent at destination if you want a door-to-door quote
Re Canada: Check routing of shipment: to Canada a lot of containers are off-loaded in the States and trucked to Canada; US Customs are allowed to inspect shipments. This doesn’t happen often but can result in a US Customs charge that can range from US$ 500-1 000
5
This staff member left and then returned for a second contract Having moved twice (well...about to!!), I have more experience than most at this. Last time I used GAC (Gulf Agency Company), and found them to be excellent, although a little on the pricey side (close to 12,000 dhs door to door to Dunedin, NZ, for a 20 ft. container). This time they quoted a similar figure, but JAS quoted almost 2,000 dhs less for the same service, so I have gone with them. They are a relatively new company to the Gulf area (4 years here), but are No. 8 in the world so well known internationally, and their service so far has been excellent. Their contact person here is Mr. Byiju Daniel, Tel. 04-2955992 or mobile 050-5535462.
6 We had two quotes for moving 25 cm to Thailand, door to door, by sea from Crown and Allied Pickfords. Both services were very similar. Crown was slightly cheaper in their quote of Dhs 13,000 approx plus insurance. We chose Crown because they said they would guarantee the price and their Bangkok office contacted me by email within a day offering assistance. They have subsequently been very efficient in answering questions regarding visas.
7 FreightWorks Phone 9714 2044463 9714 2044468 email muhammed.younus@freightworks.com Recommended for moves within Dubai
8 Allied-Pickfords is gave all HCT employees a 5% discount on their moves along with 2.0% full insurance and 1.5% basic insurance last year check if it still applies. They're in contact with HR in Abu Dhabi to establish a permanent corporate relationship. Crown wanted to do the same but hasn't been able to follow through. I'm not as impressed with Crown - when crunch time came, they couldn't follow through. These two are the only movers in town who have a world-wide network with offices in a good number of destinations. Much easier when dealing with complicated or valuable moves. Fewer people to deal with means fewer hassles, hopefully. GAC is good too but but only uses local agents at destination like all other shippers and they were only slightly cheaper (2%) than the Allied or Crown. Interesting enough is that the GAC agent at our destination end is Allied but would end up costing us more in handling charges and storage than shipping with Allied all the way from this end. You'll get more for your dirham if you use the biggies. Having used Ahmed Saleh Packing twice for local moves, they're good for that but I'd never trust them with an overseas move. I've shipped overseas on the cheap twice and have had major hassles both times. I'm hopefully going to avoid that this time by paying the approx. 10-15% more to go with a major player.
9 Moving within Dubai We used Freightworks - because they were recommended, and our insurance company Norwich would cover the move because they have certified Freightworks
This page was last updated by Leigh Butler on January 25, 2010
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