The aim is to optimize the entry and exit of cargo at the container terminal where there have been long lines and delays in procedures.
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
After some problems arose last week, executives from Operadora Portuaria de Centroamérica (OPC) pledged to streamline the procedures for the entry and exit of cargo at Empresa Nacional Portuaria.
Mariano Torres, director of operations at OPC said that "we are working on making the export formalities available to be processed via the web because that would halve the amount of paperwork at terminal for shipping companies." It is estimated that the system will be ready next week.
"... One of the drawbacks is that everyone arrives in the afternoon, so we are coordinating with freight companies to take advantage of the morning as well. Another problem is that a lot of trucks arrive without any documentation and have to go to the back of the line. "
"... There are two cranes, one is operational and the other is being assembled and tow more are coming which are already assembled, which will be on site next Thursday that will streamline the work of loading and unloading at the terminal."
With the aim of attracting companies from El Salvador, the two operators of the Atlantic ports in Honduras and Guatemala are working on modernizing their infrastructure.
Representatives from the Central American Port Operator (OPC by its initials in Spanish) of Puerto Cortés, in Honduras, explained that due to inefficient processes and high costs, they have lost a lot of cargo from El Salvador in recent years.
Clearing a container through customs can take up to 14 days and the extra costs for surcharges which apply after a third day can exceed $600.
An article on Laprensa.hn reports that "...Of those 14 days, only about 11 will be spent waiting, first for the cargo to be inspected and after for a diagnosis to be made, or because of the delay added due to days when customs officers from the now liquidated Executive Directorate of Revenue ( DEI) have taken off in order to migrate to the Revenue Management System (SAR). "
Exporters are complaining because customs clearance procedures at the port terminal which used to be completed in three days now take 20.
Ever since Operadora Portuaria Centroamericana assumed control of operation of the cargo terminal at Puerto Cortes, the processes for inspections and unloading have delayed goods by considerably more days than before, raising costs for exporters and importers, who have to wait up to 20 days to take their products out of the port.
Carriers have blocked the entry and exit of cargo as a protest against the Honduran National Port Company (Empresa Nacional Portuaria de Honduras).
From Tuesday 25 cargo carriers have kept access to the Port of Honduras blocked in protest at the slow service and new charges. The export sector is concerned about the condition of goods which need to be sold as soon as possible in the U.S. market to ensure their quality.
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