Qatar has no reason to worry about goods shortages or disruptions to supply chains despite heightened regional tensions, the country’s customs chief tells Al Jazeera.
Qatar has no reason to worry about shortages of goods or disruptions to its supply chains despite heightened regional tensions, the head of the country’s customs authority has told Al Jazeera, saying strategic reserves, digital customs systems and multiple transport routes are helping keep trade flowing.
Ahmed bin Abdullah Al Jamal, chairman of Qatar’s General Authority of Customs, said supply stability in Qatar was supported by diversified import sources, efficient logistics infrastructure and sufficient strategic stocks of essential goods.
“There are no indicators that call for concern over shortages of goods or disturbances to supply chains inside the State of Qatar,” Al Jamal said in an interview with Al Jazeera.
He said customs authorities were continuing to monitor trade flows across the country’s various entry points in coordination with other agencies to ensure goods moved smoothly and supply chains were not affected by regional developments.
Al Jamal’s interview comes at a time when Iran continues to launch missile and drone attacks against its Gulf neighbours, amid the US-Israel war on Iran. On Wednesday morning, Qatar’s Ministry of Defence said the nation’s armed forces had intercepted the latest missiles aimed at the country.
Faster customs clearance
He said a key part of Qatar’s response has been the use of digital customs infrastructure, particularly the Al Nadeeb platform, the country’s electronic customs clearance and single-window system.
The platform connects government and non-government bodies involved in import and export procedures, allowing users to submit documents, complete customs transactions and pay fees online. Al Jamal said recent updates to the system had helped speed up procedures and improve transparency.
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He added that customs authorities had also increased coordination with relevant government agencies to facilitate the entry of food supplies, while fast-track lanes had been allocated to priority shipments. Customs points are operating around the clock to prevent bottlenecks in the release of goods.
Gulf mechanism
The head of Qatar Customs also pointed to continued coordination with the Gulf Customs Union Authority to follow up on plans approved by the customs authorities of the Gulf Cooperation Council states during a meeting last week.
He said the meeting resulted in an agreement over a mechanism aimed at facilitating the movement of trade between GCC countries and the outside world, while accelerating the clearance of shipments moving through intra-Gulf crossings.
The measures include the recognition of freight forwarders’ guarantees, the acceptance of undertakings from customs clearance companies and the use of simplified customs codes to ease the movement of goods. Special arrangements have also been introduced for the movement of empty consignments between GCC states to help reduce delays and improve transport turnaround times.
Sea, air and land options
As for logistical alternatives in the event of disruptions to maritime navigation, Al Jamal said Qatar relies on an integrated logistics system that guarantees the continuity of trade movement and the flow of goods. This system includes diversified transport options by sea, air and land, which enhances supply chain flexibility.
He described Hamad Port as one of the region’s key maritime hubs because of its operational efficiency and direct links to global shipping lines. He said Hamad International Airport also provided advanced cargo handling capacity when air freight was needed.
Land transport remains another important route. Al Jamal identified the Abu Samra border crossing with Saudi Arabia as a key support option because it links Qatar directly to the wider regional road network across GCC states and neighbouring Arab countries.
He said Abu Samra had undergone major development in recent years, including expanded infrastructure, truck lanes, customs inspection platforms and advanced scanning and security systems. Those upgrades, he said, had helped increase capacity, speed up customs procedures and strengthen supply chain flexibility.
TIR system
Al Jamal also highlighted the role of the Transports Internationaux Routiers (TIR), which facilitates the movement of trucks across borders using a unified customs document and reduces the need for repeated inspections in each transit country.
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He said the system helped make road freight faster and less costly, while also giving companies practical advantages such as reduced paperwork, shorter border waiting times, lower customs guarantee costs and better transport planning.
Qatar joined the TIR Convention in January 2019. Al Jamal said the electronic TIR system (E-TIR) had been integrated with Al Nadeeb in May 2025, allowing import, export and transit procedures to be completed electronically for enrolled companies. The integration also enables customs authorities to exchange data in advance, conduct risk analyses and process information before shipments arrive, helping reduce release times and speed up cargo movement through land crossings.
Emergency plans
Beyond customs clearance and transport alternatives, Al Jamal said the authority operated under an integrated risk management framework that included contingency plans updated regularly and activated when needed.
Those plans include raising operational readiness at customs points, increasing staffing through 24-hour shift systems and providing alternative shipping routes where necessary.
He added that the customs authority also worked within a broader national emergency framework involving other state institutions, which he said had helped improve coordination and integrate emergency planning.
Coordination also extends to ministries and agencies responsible for restricted goods, including the ministries of interior, health, municipality and environment, as well as private-sector actors involved in trade and logistics.
Al Jamal said the integration of customs systems with those bodies allowed real-time information exchange, closer monitoring of supply conditions and quicker responses to potential disruptions.
He said Qatar’s trade and logistics system was capable of adapting to shifting regional and international conditions, adding that authorities were taking proactive steps to ensure the uninterrupted flow of goods and preserve the stability of local markets.