Held at the Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport – Alexandria, April 30, 2024
The Arab Federation of Shipping (AFOS) participated in a seminar discussing the future impact of negotiable electronic shipping documents and records in the Arab world. AFOS was represented by Dr. Mohamed Awad, who attended on behalf of Mr. Mohamed Suleiman Metwally, President of the Federation. The seminar was held at the Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport in Alexandria.
The event was inaugurated by Professor Ismail Abdel Ghaffar, President of the Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport, who welcomed the attendees. In his opening remarks, he emphasized that the seminar provided a valuable opportunity to explore ways to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of logistics operations and e-commerce. He highlighted that negotiable electronic shipping documents could play a pivotal role in improving communication and information exchange between companies and institutions, while also facilitating maritime shipping and transportation processes with greater efficiency and transparency. This, in turn, would contribute to cost reduction and enhance the speed and accuracy of shipping and transport operations.
The seminar was jointly organized by the Academy (represented by the College of International Transport and Logistics in Alexandria and the Academy’s Arab Affairs Sector), the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), the United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT), and the General Secretariat of the Arab League.
Seminar Sessions
The first session covered the following topics:
- An overview of transport networks in the Arab world.
- The history and functions of maritime bills of lading.
- The significance of maritime bills of lading in trade finance, particularly in documentary credit transactions.
- Issuance of negotiable transport documents by freight forwarders (carriers).
- The digitalization of negotiable transport documents.
The second session addressed:
- UNCITRAL’s ongoing work on negotiable shipping documents and electronic shipping records.
- The role of negotiable shipping documents and electronic shipping records in enhancing global supply chains.
- Perspectives from the Arab and Egyptian private maritime and logistics sectors on issuing negotiable shipping documents and electronic shipping records.
The seminar provided a platform for discussing the growing role of digitalization in maritime transport and logistics, underscoring the importance of adopting innovative solutions to enhance the efficiency and transparency of the shipping industry.