UAE to Enforce New Safety Standards for Tyres in September

KUALA LUMPUR, June 12 (Bernama) -- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will enforce new safety standards for tyres effective September, the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) said Tuesday. The standards have explicit regulations on storage and display, stringent technical controls from production to disposal, restrictions on retreading and repairs as well as a complete ban on used tyres, it said in a statement. Under the new regulations, tyres exported to the UAE are required to be approved by the UAE Standard ISO 9001 certification in addition to the current Gulf Standardisation Organisation certification. Matrade said tyres also have to be compatible with UAE's weather condition, with a five-year expiry date from the date of manufacture. In terms of tyre storage, the area need to be air-conditioned, with the temperature not exceeding 25 degrees celcius, it said. The new regulations also require tyres to have information on the date of manufacture, maximum speed and temperature, size and quality rating, it said. Matrade said Malaysia’s tyre exports to the UAE totalled US$3.12 million last year. The UAE is a re-export hub for major tyre manufacturers worldwide. It is estimated that the UAE imported 6.3 million tyres last year, 65 per cent were re-exported to Africa, Iran, Afghanistan and Gulf Cooperation Council countries. -- BERNAMA