Port Authority digitises trans-shipment process
THE ADOPTION of Port community systems (PCS) in Jamaica is expected to bolster the efficiency and effectiveness of enterprises who import and export cargo, replacing an archaic, paperbased system used by Jamaica’s port controllers.
In a Gleaner interview, Dwain Powell, vice-president and PCS operator at the Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ), revealed how various risk-management procedures have been strengthened since their introduction in PCS in 2016 that had a primary focus on trans-shipments.
Trans-shipment is when cargo or a container is transported from one vessel to another while in transit to its final destination.
This is part of the three main forms of trade transactions, which also include imports and exports.
“When we started in 2016, Jamaica had a trans-shipment process whereby you had to complete seven copies of what is called a trans-shipment bill (a physical form which had to be submitted to Jamaica Customs),” he said, explaining that there were no electronic payment facilities in place, and so people had to physically visit the offices and pay each trans-shipment bill with cash or cheque.
Since then, this process has been reengineered, said Powell, through the PAJ and its work with Customs.
“Ninety per cent of cargo that actually passes through Jamaica is trans-shipment. So if you have a million containers, for example, passing through the country, 900,000 of those containers, on a yearly basis, is for transshipment,” he said of the gravity of the situation which had to be processed manually.
The PCS system which facilitates both air and ocean freight is dedicated for port community users and stakeholders, which predominantly include shipping lines, shipping agents, custom brokers, truckers, terminal operators, and Jamaica Customs Agency, who would be conducting a trade transaction within the country.
“Basically, what we do, we integrate all the systems that the different stakeholders would use to optimise cargo logistics,”he said, which would also result in efficient processes such as shorter delivery times and a robust supply chain.
In addition to truck licensing and registration, the PCS digitises authorisation documents from a variety of stakeholders, including delivery orders, terminal releases, customs releases, and trucker identification.
As a result, cargo security has been increased, where terminal operators like Kingston Wharves and Kingston Freeport Terminal Limited can conduct checks on full-load containers at terminal entrance and exit gates, utilising the PCS to view all of the relevant permissions in one convenient location in real time.
On May 19, the Shipping Association of Jamaica welcomed a team from Barbados’ marine sector as part of a study trip of regional and international ports to investigate the application of a PCS at the port of Bridgetown.
With the PCS officially implemented on March 1, the PAJ has been working with about 30 different airlines such as American Airlines, Caribbean Airlines and British Airways.
“What we are doing now is that online shopping in Jamaica, as you can appreciate, is predominantly air, and so what we are doing now is, we are implementing the PCS at the airport, but we are gonna be focusing predominantly on the manifest management,” said Powell.
The cargo manifest, which is a document containing information on items transported by sea vessel or air, will be digitised and submitted within an acceptable time range, allowing for faster processing times.
Powell explained that prior to this step, a team of individuals would have to manually input data on behalf of 90 per cent of the airlines.