In line with the National Logistics Strategy 2040 to enable digital transformation, Oman Logistics Center has passed a significant milestone in facilitating the digital transformation of the Sultanate’s shipping sector with the introduction of E-delivery and E-Cargo release Orders.

Within two weeks of the submission and processing of Delivery Orders, Bills of Lading and service payments moving completely online, all transactions at the Port of Salalah have become paperless, and over 60% of those at Sohar Port have swiftly followed, with that figure likely to continue to rise in coming weeks.

Private sector logistics providers benefit greatly from savings of time and cost. As more providers move quickly to digitalize their own processes, paper transactions across Oman will quickly become a thing of the past - keeping pace with the government who has already migrated to digital platforms for all their clearance processes.

The Directorate General of Customs has spearheaded the digital transformation with the Bayan App, providing for fully electronic clearances, followed by removing any requirement for paper originals.

Progress towards electronic Delivery Order (e-D/O) e-Cargo Release Order (e-CRO) has been intensive, but users are now in a position to experience a supply chain entirely paperless, secure, quicker and safer.

Traders will no longer be forced to wait for the physical receipt of delivery order papers. Port operators, shipping lines, agents and custom clearance agents all process shipments electronically, generating a ripple of direct economic benefit through the entirety of the supply chain.

Abdallah Ez Adin, General Manager of Kurtu International, offered an enthusiastic assessment of the fully digitalized system, highlighting its compatibility with working from home. He said:

“With the introduction of paperless logistics our company has benefited immensely from this initiative. We have been able to let our employees work and clear shipments while stay safely at home”

Paperless logistics remove any need for direct human interactions, ensuring the health and safety of employees; an issue that is high on organizations` agenda. Additionally, time and cost savings will prove beneficial beyond COVID-19, according to Sameeh Abdullatif, Director of Logistics at GAC who said:

“The system has proven to be very efficient and I confidently believe that this procedure will continue beyond Covid-19.”

The digitalization of Oman’s shipping sector is part of the wider ambitions of the National Logistics Strategy, SOLS 2040. Oman Logistics Center is the Strategy’s delivery unit, driving progress across trade facilitation, technology, human capital and markets development.