Overland shipping to Gulf countries paralyzed

Exporters seek affordable alternatives

Dozens of local trucks are stuck at the Syrian-Jordanian borders. The land borders between the two countries have been completely shut down, preventing shipments to Gulf countries. “The Lebanese-Syrian borders are still open but the Syrian-Jordanian borders, which are the gates to the entire Gulf, are now closed,” said Hussein Daher, Business Development Manager at Gezairi Transport.

Very few trucks are crossing Lebanese-Syrian borders due to the high risk of taking the Daraa international road, the lifeline of land trade. “Trucks that are crossing the land borders are delivering goods either to Syria or to Iraq,” Daher said. Transports to Iraq make up around 35 percent of Gezairi’s land operations. “The remaining land operations are destined to the Gulf via the Jordan-Syria borders,” he said.

Vegetables and fruits are shipped to the Gulf during spring each year. “We are now considering other means to transport these goods, mainly by sea,” Daher said. He said Gezairi is currently reconsidering its marine shipping tariffs in order to offer clients who usually hire land transport services a chance to shift to maritime shipping.

Land transport of goods has declined within the past year by over 40 percent, said Chafic Kassis, Head of the Syndicate of Public Truck Owners. Goods are usually shipped from three border points: Arida, Masnaa, and Abboudieh. “The Arida border crossing is currently completely shutdown, while activity at the two other points is extremely unstable,” Kassis said.

The syndicate will schedule a meeting with the Minister of Public Works and Transportation to look into possible alternatives to sustain exports at an affordable cost.