AMMAN: The clearance of 132 containers carrying shoes and clothing worth JD7 million is delayed at the Aqaba Container Terminal (ACT), Garment Traders Association President Sultan Allan said Thursday.
Moreover, another 80 containers will arrive by next week, Allan added, highlighting that Eid Al Fitr, the Muslim feast marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, is getting closer. Jordanians traditionally buy new clothes for themselves and their children to celebrate Eid.
Containers that should have been cleared before Ramadan were also delayed although vendors and importers requested them before the fasting month to prepare for the demand, Allan told the Jordan News Agency, Petra. He held the ACT fully responsible for the issue because of its “slow logistic and administrative work”, and dismissed suggestions that the delay is the fault of the Jordan Standards and Metrology Organisation or the Jordan Customs Department.
The association, Allan said, is encouraging its members to import goods for Eid Al Adha through other Arab ports because they have been “suffering” with the ACT for years. Similarly, the Foodstuff Traders Association said earlier this week that it is planning to file a lawsuit against the ACT and the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority ( ASEZA ) for “delays in handling shipments that cause major losses for merchants”.
