BOC eyes automation of cargo transfers, ship-to-truck scheme

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ID-100231189The Bureau of Customs (BOC) is open to automating the process of transferring cargoes from one economic zone to another.

Customs Commissioner Alberto Lina, during a speech at the Philippine Semiconductor and Electronics Convention and Exhibition last week, asked the Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines, Inc. (SEIPI) to write a proposal to BOC seeking to automate approval of Forms 8105 and 8106.

Forms 8105 and 8106 are Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) forms used to bring goods into and out of an ecozone to the customs territory, and these forms need approval from BOC.

Lina said automation can be done as early as July 1, but asked for SEIPI’s proposal first. The Customs chief added that automating the BOC approval process will mean “less papers, less human intervention, less costs.”

Association of SEIPI Logistics Managers (ASLM) president Malou Ronquillo, in an interview with PortCalls after the forum, said they will submit their proposal by mid June.

Ronquillo noted that Forms 8105 and 8106 are PEZA’s “guarantee” that the shipments really arrived at the other PEZA zone.

Automating the approval process has been on the drawing board for years, but Lina’s expressed interest in the project will add weight to its immediate launch, Ronquillo said.

Ship-to-truck scheme

Meanwhile, Lina also suggested including in PEZA’s proposal the request for a “ship-to-truck” scheme for SEIPI shipments.

In an interview with PortCalls after his speech, Lina said ship-to-truck means the cargo will be directly loaded onto a truck from the ship without the need to be stored in the yard first, eliminating double handling and lessening costs.

Lina pointed out this can be done, since the location of containers on a vessel can be identified through the container number indicated on the advance manifest. He added that BOC will need help from port operators to implement this scheme.

Lina said he had discussed this measure previously, but added he needs a proposal from SEIPI to avoid suggestions the idea is part of his “whims.”

The BOC chief said the agency can start the automated approval with SEIPI and super green lane shipments because they are “risk free” and SEIPI shipments are not consumed locally.

Moreover, Lina said he will still require foreign shipping lines to include the value of goods on the inward foreign manifest and will issue a memorandum on this issue by July. He said earlier that the advance information will help BOC “immediately assess duties and taxes.”

He explained there are “naughty importers” who change or under-declare value of shipments once these enter the country.

Atty. Maximino Cruz, Association of International Shipping Lines general manager, earlier told PortCalls that “it is actually an out-of-the-box idea which makes sense. His plan, however, to require shipping lines to state the value of the goods on the cargo manifest has to be submitted to the member lines for discussion and deliberation.”

He added that putting the value of the goods on the manifest of shipping lines is “not an international shipping norm and will surely draw reaction from the home offices of the foreign lines.”

But, he continued, “Let’s see how the discussion goes when the matter is put on the table during our membership meeting. It could be a tough call because it could shake up existing conventions in global shipping.”

Meanwhile, Lina said BOC will put up this month a 24/7 customer service to help stakeholders with processing their requests for the emergency release of their shipments.

Lina also requested that stakeholders take advantage of the lull during weekends, holidays, and Monday mornings to move their shipments so as to ease traffic during weekdays. He added he will ask shipping lines to operate during Saturdays until 5 p.m. – Roumina Pablo

Image courtesy of Iamnee at FreeDigitalPhotos.net