Obituary about Abdul Wahed Hassan Al Rostamani by DULOG’s Managing Director, C.C. Niyaz Ali

AW Rostamani Group founder and Chairman died in Dubai on 3^rd November 2016. Over the years, AW Rostamani Group, have grown from strength to strength and the Group is now made up of 17 companies with more than 3000 employees. The Group celebrated its 59^th anniversary this year in 2016.

My personal association with Mr. Abdul Wahed Hassan Al Rostamani goes back to 1979, the year I landed in Dubai as the Accountant of Thomas Cook Al Rostamani , a joint venture formed by Thomas Cook, the largest Travel and Foreign Exchange company in the world then and the legacy  Al Rostamani Group which subsequently because two separate entities in the year 2006  ( Al Rostamani Group and AW Rostamani Group) I was the first staff of Thomas Cook Al Rostamani , being transferred from the Bahrain Regional Office of Thomas Cook Group Ltd. I worked for Al Rostamani Group until 2006 (27 long years)  , the year we established DULOG LLC , a Company founded by Mr. Khalid Al Rostamani, son of Mr. Abdul Wahed Al Rostamani and myself which later was re-organized as KAR Freight & Forwarding LLC., and DULOG LLC.

In spite of being one of the greatest achievers among the Emiratis in the UAE, with Forbes rating him as 60 out of the top richest Arabs in 2014 and earlier this year, being ranked 28 on the annual world billionaires list, I have never seen in my life a more humble, simple  and hardworking billionaire in my life and in spite of all the wealth, power, fame and achievements on his stride, he was an extra-ordinary caring and down to earth human being and a devote Muslim. There are several measures he took part of his supreme submission to Allah and for the fear of Allah’s wrath. One step I remember was his instructions to all his Companies General Managers that nobody should entertain anybody, whether Internal Customers or External Customers, Partners, business associates etc., on Company’s account,  serving alcohol.

The proudest moment of my life, associated with Mr. Abdul Wahed Al Rostamani,  personally was when I went to the podium of the Dubai Quality Award Function , held in Dubai, along , with him , in the year 2004, to receive the Dubai Quality Award for the year 2003 , for Thomas Cook Al Rostamani Exchange Company ( now known as Al Rostamani International Exchange ) from HH Shaikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

   

Inna Lillahi Wa Innah ilaihi  Rajioon ( To God we belong; to God we return). May Allah grant him Jannathul Firdaus (Highest part of the Paradise) and grand him Maghfirah (forgiveness)... Aameen.

PHOTOS OF Abdul Wahed Hassan Al Rostamani, from the private collection of Niyaz Ali, Managing Director, DULOG and former General Manager of Thomas Cook Al Rostamani Exchange Company.

                                                    

Abdul Wahed Hassan Al Rostamani with his elder brother Abdul Wahed Hassan Al Rostamani

Abdul Wahed Hassan Al Rostamani receiving award for the various Blood Donation Campaigns conducted by Thomas Cook Al Rostamani Exchange Company ( now known as Al Rostamani International Exchange Company).

  Abdullah Hassan Al Rostamani and Abdul Wahed Hassan Al Rostamani , signing the joint venture agreement between Al Rostamani Group and the Thomas Cook Group covering the formation of the Company Thomas Cook Al Rostamani , in 1979. Seen also in the picture are T. M. Nair, Director, Al Rostamani Group and Frazer Legg of Thomas Cook Group.

Abdul Wahed Hassan Al Rostamani with Abdullah Hassan Al Rostamani , Khalid Al Rostamani, Michel Ayat, CEO Automotive Group, AW Rostamani Group and Senior officials during the inauguration of the renovated Deira Baniyas Square Branch of Thomas Cook Al Rostamani Exchange ( now known as Al Rostamani International Exchange).

Truck Drivers offering illegal Home Shifting Services poses major risks to the general public and threat to the Removal and Relocation services Industry operating legally in the UAE

Truck Drivers offering illegal Home Shifting Services poses major risks to the general public and threat to the Removal and Relocation services Industry operating legally in the UAE

Truck Drivers offering illegal Home Shifting Services are on the rise and it is now common to see on the UAE roads, Trucks which are licensed only to offer Transportation services, carrying signage and vehicle graphs stating as “Movers and Packers” or  “ To Call for Home Shifting”. Removals and Relocation Services are legally offered only by Licensed  Removals & Relocation Companies or Logistics Companies whose are licensed to offer these services as well. According to C.C. Niyaz Ali, Managing Director of DULOG, these Truck Drivers are misleading the general public and in the event of any claims, accidents or crimes including missing items, the affected customer is in a disadvantageous position as technically he or she had resorted to using the services of unlicensed operators and is then exposed to its natural consequences.  “We have heard of cases where the job is won quoting very low price but once they start the job, at the middle of the move, they will start arguing with the customer related to the scope of the work and about exclusions and start demanding for additional amounts, putting the customer is a helpless situation but to concede to their demands” said Mr. Ali. He said recently there was another case reported to him by a customer who refused to give the job to DULOG stating that he had received a far lower Quotation from another service provider but few days later he called again and informed that many of his furniture items were damaged during the dismantling and re-assembling processes as the Labour which the Truck Drivers arrange were all illegal workers, absconders from their original sponsors etc., who are mainly loaders and not professional packers or carpenters.
DULOG has a full-fledged Removals and Relocations Division with its own fleet of covered vehicles, own staff who are well trained in furniture and  fragile items handling and packing, dismantling of any type of most sophisticated furniture and re-assembling of the same after the move at its new Destination address. The Company is also one of the leading providers of Storage and Self-Storage Service providers in the UAE offering both Air-Conditioned and Non Air-Conditioned Storage units .

What You Need to Know About SOLAS and the Container Weight Requirement 

With effect from 01st July 2016 the new SOLAS regulation for verifying the weight of freight containers loaded on board vessels under the regime of SOLAS has come into force.

What is the SOLAS Convention? 

Initially adopted in 1914, the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) is generally considered the most important international treaty concerning the safety of merchant ships. The first version was adopted as a response to the Titanic disaster with subsequent versions of SOLAS adopted throughout the years. The SOLAS Convention specifies minimum safety standards for the construction, equipment and operation of ships.

The SOLAS Container Weight Verification Requirement 

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has declared a container weight verification requirement within the SOLAS Convention. Effective on July 1, 2016, with a transition period through October 1, this requirement states that an accurate container weight must be provided prior to loading upon an ocean vessel. 

This container weight mandate is a result of recent instances where inaccurate weights have contributed to maritime casualties and capsizes. Incorrect container weights also result in dock worker injuries, container stack collapses, cargo damage and environmental devastation. As ocean vessels increase in size, the accurate weight is increasingly important to avoid larger scale incidents that might result from unreliable container and vessel weights.

Common SOLAS VGM Questions 

Who is the responsible party for submitting a verified weight to the carrier?	Under the SOLAS requirements, the shipper named on the ocean bill of lading is the party responsible for providing the maritime (ocean) carrier and the terminal operator with the verified gross mass of a packed container.
Is there an agreed upon format to communicate the VGM?	SOLAS does not mandate any particular form of communication between the parties exchanging the verified gross mass information.
When must the VGM be received by the carrier and terminal operator?	The VGM is required in order to prepare the stowage plan of the ship prior to loading. Therefore, shippers should obtain information on cut-off times from their carriers in advance of shipment.
Is there a margin of error defined for accurate VGM?	SOLAS does not define a margin of error. Acceptable weight tolerances for accuracy will be determined by national standards and requirements.
What occurs if shippers do not comply?

In the UAE, all major shipping lines have alerted the Freight Forwarders including DULOG which, apart from having a very large Division of Removals & Relocation, also have large Freight Forwarding Division, about the need to declare the actual  physical Weight of the Cargo, while intimating the Cargo Manifest and BL details to the shipping lines, under the Mandatory VGM Declaration, which has come into effect from 1st July 2016 . They have also warned that if there is difference between the Declared Weight by the Shipper /Freight Forwarder and the VGM notified to them internally by the Port Authority , then the cargo will not be included in the Load List. The Industry is depending on the Private Weight Bridge Operators located at various part of the country for the weighing which involves two processes, first, taking of the Trailer Weight with empty Container and the second the Trailer Weight with the Container loaded with the cargo. This VGM requirement has resulted in additional cost which ranges between USD 10 and USD 15, and waiting period for the Trailer to Gate-In to the Port , especially those that are carrying containers which are   being exported to  countries like Kuwait, Syria, Iran Iraq etc., which involves Inspection of the Container at Origin Ports in the UAE.

Some of the Private Weight Bridge Operators located in Dubai are as follows:

1. AL BADAWI GENERAL TRADING CO. Location : Aweer, Dubai.

2. ALPHA EMIRATES CO. Location : Al Quoz, Dubai

3. ACICO INDUSTRIES . Location: Jebel Ali Free Zone, Dubai.

Putting aside the additional, costs, processes and delays, DULOG whole heartily welcome this new SOLAS regulation AS IT IS MEANT TO PREVENT LOSS OF OR DANGER TO LIFE AT SEA, DANGERS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AS WELL AS TO PROPERTY AND ASSETS. SEVERE ACCIDENTS AND LOSSES HAVE TAKEN PLACE IN THE PAST DUE TO MIS DECLARED WEIGHT OF THE CONTAINERS