Jeddah Port Directs Shipping Companies Not to Accept or Handle Vehicles Bound for Sudan Unless They Meet Requirements

Sudanhorizon – Hala Hamza

The repercussions of Cabinet Resolution No. 285 concerning expatriates’ vehicles, which maintains the ban on importing used cars and adopts model year rather than year of manufacture as the basis for determining vehicle age, remain unresolved.

Sudanhorizon has learned that Ali bin Salem Al-Muhawri, Executive Director-General of Jeddah Islamic Port, has instructed 10 shipping companies to regulate the entry and shipment of vehicles bound for Sudan and not to accept or bring any such vehicles into the port before verifying that they meet all requirements.

The directive aims to prevent vehicles from being returned to Jeddah Port and to maintain the smooth flow of operations while making optimal use of the port’s designated spaces and facilities. Al-Muhawri held the companies addressed in the letter responsible for compliance.

The letter noted that, during October, the port administration had recorded several vehicles that were brought into the port and shipped to Sudan, only to be returned aboard the same vessels because they could not be unloaded at their destination port due to failure to meet certain entry requirements and procedures. Some remained aboard the vessels for several voyages. Other vehicles entered the port and were stored in the operating company’s yards because the requirements for their acceptance and unloading at the destination port had not been completed.

This situation occupied the port’s operational space and increased cargo-handling and reshipping activity. Consequently, the directive stipulated that no vehicle should be accepted or brought into the port unless prior verification confirms that it can be shipped and unloaded at its final destination and meets the applicable requirements in the country of destination.

The letter also instructed the companies to raise awareness among shipping operators, customers and vehicle owners about these requirements before making reservations or entering the port.

A number of expatriates have called on the Sovereignty Council and the Council of Ministers, through Sudanhorizon, to urgently repeal Resolution No. 285 and allow them to bring in their vehicles, which they described as the fruits of their years working abroad and which have remained stranded at Jeddah Port since the decision was issued.

They said the continued detention of their vehicles at the port is increasing their financial and emotional losses, arguing that they are entitled to rights and privileges granted by the state over many years, which the decision has overturned by preventing them from importing their vehicles.

Meanwhile, the Sudanese Customs Committee for Addressing Vehicles at Ports recently issued a decision allowing customs clearance for vehicles currently at ports that have been granted exemptions or had bills of lading issued before 4 October 2026.

In a letter whose contents were obtained by Sudanhorizon, the committee, headed by Police Major General Abdulrahman Zein Al-Abideen Taha, stated that the clearance deadline is 3 December 2026, subject to payment of customs duties and other applicable fees.

The committee warned that failure to complete clearance within the announced period would result in the application of the Customs Act to vehicles that remain uncleared.

The Council of Ministers recently issued Resolution No. 285 regulating car imports and specifying the model years of vehicles permitted to enter Sudan.

Sources told Sudanhorizon that a peaceful protest is scheduled to take place in Suakin next Sunday, 14 November, to demand the repeal of Resolution No. 285.

Customs authorities had previously stated that the measures taken regarding car-carrying vessels at Osman Digna Port were part of routine regulatory customs procedures, in accordance with the laws and regulations governing imports. They emphasised that their role was to enforce applicable laws and regulations and verify that the required documents had been submitted.

Customs also stressed that shipping companies had previously been instructed to verify that vehicles had obtained the necessary exemptions and that all unloading documents were complete before shipment. It warned that violations of these instructions would entail legal accountability under the applicable regulations.

The shipping companies concerned are: Mohammed Al-Rasheed Al-Juhani Travel and Marine Agencies Establishment; Al-Nakhla International Marine Shipping Services Company; Mohammed Saud Musleh Al-Juhani Marine Transport Company; Nama International Marine Services Company; Al-Naqra Smart Marine Shipping Company; Bassam Ahmed Afasha Commercial Agency; Ba’aboud Trade and Navigation Agencies; Buhour Al-Mashreq Limited Company; Tarco Air Cargo Company; and Al-Rakaez Al-Wataniya Agency.

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