A look at the Port Royal Customs office
The name Port Royal means royal port, that is, the Port of the Queen.
THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CUSTOMS OFFICE IN PORT ROYAL
I The Custom’s Port Royal Office falls under the purview of the Sufferance Wharves Unit of the JCA.
I The Customs Office was established in the 1940s; however, after massive hurricane damage to the structure, it was rebuilt in the 1950s. The office then had one senior officer who was referred to as the tide surveyor. His support staff was two Customs protection officers, six boatmen, a quarantine officer, a doctor, and an immigration officer. It should be noted that the Customs protection officers and the boatmen were Port Royal residents. The tide surveyor and their families would live on the premises and so did the quarantine officer and the immigration officer.
I The reason for such an arrangement was that it was mandatory for every ship that entered Jamaican waters to stop at Port Royal before they were allowed to move to the designated seaport. It was also a requirement for ships to present a manifest and medical report attesting to the health of the crew and passengers in order to prevent serious contamination to locals.
I If the local resident doctor was not satisfied with the health status of the crew, the vessel was asked to dock at the Chacolaca Hole, now known as the Parade Square (Coastguard
base), and the crew and passengers would be quarantined at the Naval Hospital for further verification.
I During that period, there were four Customs boat: Starfish, the Barracuda, the Bonito, and the Romani. Starfish and Barracuda had two engines and the Bonito had one. The Romani was so named because it was in the shape of a horseshoe. The CPO assisted the tide surveyor with the processing of the vessels.
ROLES AND FUNCTIONS
I Board & Sealing of Vessels – Commercial vessels which include but are not limited to fishing vessels, bunkering vessels, all pleasure crafts (yacht, power boats, catamarans, etc).
I Outward clearance of Vessels (Port clearance).
I Continuous monitoring of all vessels.
I Issuance of coastwise clearances to pleasure crafts & commercial vessels, when and
where necessary.
I Processing of on/off Signers, where necessary.
I Releasing of cargo, where necessary,
I Monitoring of stores to be taken on any vessel within our scope
I Internal recording of Vessels I Rummaging of vessels I Process for payment of Duties for any item declared on a Vessel, when needed
I Escort of goods for transhipment
THE EXTENT OF CUSTOMS OPERATIONS WITHIN PORT ROYAL
I Monitoring of the cays and its environs, that is, Lime Cay, Gun Cay, Bushy Cay, Maiden Cay, and Drunken Man Cay. All these cays are south-south-east of Port Royal.
I Monitoring of the mangroves stretching from Port Royal to include Rosy Hole; the uncanalised areas of Portmore which include Edgewater and Hellshire Beach and the airport strip. I Monitoring of St Albans Pier (Causeway)
PORT ROYAL CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION
I Surveillance – land and sea to protect and monitor the coastline of Jamaica.
I Helps to decrease human trafficking between Jamaica and its regional neighbours and international countries.
I Helps to minimise the guns-for-drugs trade and food-for-guns trade.
PORT ROYAL CUSTOMS AND THE TOURIST TRADE
I The office is the first point of interaction with tourists arriving on pleasure craft (yacht, powerboat and cruiser).
OVERVIEW OF THE SUFFERANCE WHARVES UNIT
I A sufferance wharf is a private wharf approved by the minister of finance and is designated to load/unload a particular type of cargo only. The most important function of the unit is the constant monitoring of vessels that go into the ports to load/unload cargo and proceed to another destination.
I As an exception, a vessel can report for repairs, bunkering and crew change. Bunkering is the process of supplying fuels to ships for their own use. The unit fosters good shipping relationships between Jamaica and international countries. It aids in the fight against the guns-for-drugs trade, food-for-guns trade, and by extension, the protection of Jamaican borders.
I The unit also performs functions on behalf of the Ministries of Agriculture, Health and National Security, among others.