“Single Window is defined as a facility that allows parties involved in trade and transport to lodge standardized information and documents with a single entry point to fulfil all import, export, and transit-related regulatory requirements”
UN/CEFACT RECOMMENDATION No. 33
On April 2 this year Port of Odessa launched its port community system (EIPS). Its main objective is the electronic manifest. Let us remind you that an electronic manifest was launched in test mode in October 2012 by the Interagency Working Group established at the request of the Prime Minister of Ukraine Mykola Azarov.
Electronic key granted access to the system
However, given the difficulty of adapting the software used by forwarders, line agents, customs officers and other key players, it was decided that to handle import containers carried by road Port of Odessa accepts both electronic and paper document. According to the Law of Ukraine “On Electronic Document” e-manifest should always be verified by digital signature.
Originally it was planned that the EIPS system will be in force from February 1 this year. However Ukraine changed the rules of digital signatures, so that’s why not all port clients have time to get to the unified
e-keys.
Galina Royzina, Head of the Development and Implementation of ITs under Information Technologies Service: “By the 2nd April we restored all electronic digital signature keys. Now the electronic manifest is mandatory.
As with any new business, electronic manifest has not exactly smooth implementation. Since EIPS is connected to hundreds of companies (460 freight forwarding companies cooperate with port under the relevant contracts) and other members of EIPS, there were problems connected with the use of enhanced electronic digital keys. There are no analogues of this system in Ukraine. The digital signature is used only in the customs, fiscal and banking institutions. Moreover, the work is set to a one-way exchange. EIPS is based on the principle of electronic documents in real time. And this caused certain failures.
Nevertheless, we can say that the process has started and the system is stable. Two-week trainings ran by Services Center PPL 33-35 (software developer of EIPS) and port IT experts for the shipping companies, were quite fruitful. According to G. Royzina, starting from April 2, there were more electronic manifests issued than during the whole period of test operation (from 8 October 2012 to April 1 2013). Within 8 days of April 3.5 million containers were handled, and 2.5 million of them were cleared by customs in electronic format.
Transit freight terminal (TFT) races to rescue
Vladimir Protsenko, Head of TFT: To cause no inconvenience to customers in the first days of EIPS operation, the Head of Logistics and Commercial Department Mr Vyacheslav Voronoy arranged three working places instead of the originally planned one for tallymen handling electronic manifests for forwarders who, for different reasons did not have time to connect to the system, or those who have technical failures. We have tried to smooth over all the “rough edges” that arose during the handling of container trucks. Our goal in introducing electronic manifest is not to complicate the work, but on the contrary, to make it easier, to reduce the time spent by vehicles at the TFT. Earlier there were queues of forwarders waiting for their manifests. We coordinated our actions with the Customs, and port IT Service. Moreover, the number of electronic manifests issued by the staff of TFT and freight forwarders is increasing day by day.
All transporters benefit
To evaluate the benefits of e-manifest it suffices to recall the procedure of paper document issuance. To obtain permission to load the container on the vehicle or on the rail platform, the freight forwarder should have to obtain the manifest in paper form, attach to it a bunch of other documents required by Customs. Coming to the office, the freight forwarder should have stood in line, waiting the inspector to scan the documents, enter the information from the manifest into the system, and then endorse the manifest. Issuing the e-key on the export of container from the port, the port employees officers enter this information into their system. Then make the same information is entered by the terminals ... We see the clear duplication of the same information, which is time-consuming and totally unnecessary.
Freight forwarders, port, customs, terminals are connected to EIPS, so the freight forwarder can enter the necessary information into the system sitting in his office. The technological scheme stipulates that from the moment the freight forwarder submits the electronic manifest to customs inspector, the latter has two hours to verify it. If he has any comments, he makes the relevant notes and the freight forwarder, connected to the EIPS, will see them, and without leaving the office, will respect them and amend the document. Earlier it was impossible. The issuance of manifest was not limited to any time frame: it could take ages to do it.
Electronic manifest helps the customs to reduce the processing time of reporting information to SCSU and to do a risk analysis in advance. For port and terminals electronic manifest means, first, the ability to save time. As a result, they witness increased turnover of vehicles. The second advantage is control at the checkpoint when leaving the port. It eliminates the human factor: the electronic manifest carries an electronic signature of the inspector. This is a guarantee of safety: without the permission of the customs container cannot be exported. In short, the introduction of the electronic manifest is a win-win deal for all transport players.
OVRUTSKAYA Tatiana
