AI-Driven Customs And Trade Partnership Announced By AD Ports Group And BigBear.ai

AD Ports Group has detailed a new partnership between Maqta Technologies and the UAE business of BigBear.ai, focused on artificial intelligence for customs and border operations. The agreement targets digital tools for government agencies and port operators worldwide, with strong relevance for logistics and trade corridors linked to the Middle East.

Announced during the World Customs Organisation Technology Conference in Abu Dhabi, the cooperation centres on building and delivering AI-enabled platforms for customs management and border control. The partners plan to address both national authorities and commercial port operators, including those running major trade gateways connected with the UAE.

Maqta Technologies and BigBear.ai intend to work jointly on research, system design, software development, testing, and deployment. Their focus includes digital platforms that support customs declarations, cargo clearance, inspection planning, and cross-border trade processes. They will look beyond their domestic markets to target international opportunities with customs authorities and global trade stakeholders.

Through this partnership, Maqta Technologies contributes experience gained from port community systems, national single window platforms, digital customs clearance tools, and wider trade facilitation technologies. These systems are used to streamline regulatory steps, increase transparency for supply chain actors, and raise performance across logistics value chains that connect ports, borders, and hinterland routes.

BigBear.ai, headquartered in McLean, Virginia, provides artificial intelligence systems for national security customers. For customs operations, BigBear.ai offers automated image analysis that can support inspection of containers and luggage, integrated risk management platforms, decision-support dashboards, and multi-modal border management solutions that aim to improve security, operational efficiency, and data-driven decision-making.

Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, Managing Director and Group CEO - AD Ports Group, said, "Our partnership with BigBear.ai represents a significant step in advancing our AI-driven digital trade and customs solutions. By combining Maqta Technologies’ deep expertise in trade facilitation, port community systems, and customs ecosystems with BigBear.ai’s advanced capabilities in AI and customs, we would be well positioned to deliver next-generation platforms that enhance efficiency, transparency, and risk management across global trade and logistics networks."

Maqta Technologies and BigBear.ai AI customs benefits and strategy

The collaboration aims to integrate artificial intelligence with existing digital trade infrastructure used by customs and port communities. By doing so, the partners plan to help agencies reduce processing times, optimise inspection workloads, improve risk targeting, strengthen border security, and support smoother, more sustainable movement of goods through global logistics networks linked to the UAE and beyond.

As part of the commercial strategy, Maqta Technologies and BigBear.ai will jointly pursue new contracts with customs administrations, government agencies, and port operators. They also plan to engage other trade ecosystem participants, including logistics firms and global supply chain stakeholders, to embed AI-driven customs capabilities within broader trade facilitation platforms.

Kevin McAleenan, CEO of BigBear.ai and former acting Secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security, said, "BigBear.ai is delighted to partner with AD Ports Group. They understand the catalytic power of AI from the very top of the organisation. They are driving hard to be the market leader in the application of the most advanced AI to support their operators and enhance global trade-flows. This partnership combines BigBear.ai’s extensive domain expertise in AI and customs with AD Ports Group’s global leadership in ports management and logistics. It’s tailor-made to help governments pursue the twin objectives of increasing collections and enhancing security at pace. After nearly two decades in U.S. government applying cutting edge technology to facilitate the fast and transparent movement of goods through the global economy, I believe we are on the verge of some game-changing breakthroughs and the UAE is pushing forwards, fast."

By aligning AI development with established trade systems, the partnership supports wider digital transformation goals in the ports and logistics sector. For regional and international supply chains that interact with UAE gateways, the cooperation between Maqta Technologies and BigBear.ai is set to provide authorities and operators with new options to manage customs, risk, and trade flows more effectively.

With inputs from WAM