In the first half of the twentieth century, Sharjah outranked Dubai in terms of international recognition and global trade. It was all relative of course, both cities were dirt poor following the collapse of the pearling industry.
That said, as the British had a consulate base there, an airstrip had been built and a number of regional brands set up shop there. Dubai, meanwhile still comprised of a few hundred barasti houses around a couple of square kilometres of creek.
However, a decision was about to be taken that was to split the fortunes of the two places irredeemably. In 1958, Sheikh Rashid in Dubai took the decision to dredge the creek in order to allow larger vessels to unload. Sharjah, meanwhile did nothing.
Shortly after Dubai’s dredging was complete, the Shamal winds blew with the result that Sharjah’s creek silted up, while Dubai was poised to take all the trade from its northern neighbour. Ten years would pass before Sharjah re-opened her dhow harbour, by which point Dubai had a functioning deep water port and had built a far superior airport.
While Sharjah had to play catch-up, certain successes were made. The Hamriyah deep water seaport (not to be confused with Dubai’s Al-Hamriyah port) was constructed, originally for the export of LPG being produced from Sharjah’s Sajja Gas field.
However, a vast expansion of berths and a designation of ‘freezone’ status helped the port emulate the success seen at places such as Jebel Ali. It is for this reason that Sharjah managed to cement a reputation for being the county’s import and export hub for heavy machinery and equipment as well as producing half of the nation’s manufactured goods.
FREEZONE
Like most of the UAE’s freezones the Hamriyah port offers minimal tax and a relaxed attitude to what can be brought in and out. Unfortunately, this has lead to a reputation of the Emirate becoming a hub for counterfeit goods.
At the end of last year, lots of power tools were destroyed following a bust on a company suspected of importing them. This followed a load of similar raids, most notable was one where several tons of counterfeit truck and auto parts were seized which were headed to a major parts dealer in the Emirate.
It is a credit to the Sharjah police that such raids have been made, but it is a fair assumption that many low-quality or downright fake goods are coming into the area – so beware if you need to buy spare parts for your heavy equipment.
Of course, not all goods from Sharjah are fake – far from it. A number of specialists can provide spares for just about any make or model of heavy equipment, truck, car or just about anything else.
Beyond the new trade, there is also a roaring trade in used parts for hard-to-find machines and this goes way beyond the battered store fronts selling dubious part-worn truck tyres.
Several large breakers exist that will sell you distinctly high-value items, such as components for off highway haul trucks, or expensive undercarriage items for heavy bulldozers and the like.
GEOGRAPHY
While the city of Sharjah follows a typical grid pattern, the emirate as a whole has an unusual shape, sharing a number of enclaves and exclaves with Oman, but there is currently no easy way for land-based traffic to get around the Hajjar mountains in Fujeriah.
To overcome this, the Sharjah government is, very slowly, building a highway that passes across the difficult terrain, and tunnels right through the 1.5km of mountain side.
Exactly when it will be ready is still anyone’s guess, but the tunnels, accepted to be the hardest pert of the project, have now broken though. The route, when finished is projected to give fleet managers a boost.
Less welcome perhaps is the recent toll weybridge, which charges trucks coming from Fujeriah in to Sharjah. All heavy trucks pay a toll, currently AED100, plus an extra AED10 for every tonne overweight. All heavy vehicles have to pay for each crossing, though the toll was designed to pay for road damage caused by the very large machines that haul rocks and quarry products from the northern emirates.
Other restrictions that users of heavy trucks might need to be aware of concern the times heavy vehicles can be on the streets. Actually, the times are a bit odd, with heavy vehicles banned on city roads from 5.30am to 9.30am and from 1pm to 3pm and from 5.30pm to 9.30pm. This doesn’t apply everywhere, so check first.
Traffic around the city is a nightmare at the best of times, even with the new relief roads open, so it is more than a good idea to make sure your drivers carry a map, and are aware of the bypass routes around the city.