Cargo congestion at Tema Port reduces
CARGO congestion at the Tema Port, occasioned by last week’s disconnection of the technology cargo clearance systems of service providers, has reduced drastically.
Work by the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), in collaboration with terminal operators and shipping lines, last Friday and Saturday facilitated the clearance of the backlog of goods by importers and agents.
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According to the Commissioner of the Customs Division, Col Kwadwo Damoah (retd), considerable progress was made on the exercise, leading to the release of cargo to importers and agents who went through the clearance chain and paid the necessary import duties.
A decision by the government to get the Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS) to become functional at the port last Monday, April 28, 2020, led importers stranded, as they could not undertake pre-arrival processes on their imports.
That was after the Ghana Community Network Services (GCNet) and West Blue Consulting, which had previously provided platforms for cargo clearance, was asked by the government to shut down.
Progress
The Daily Graphic gathered yesterday that while revenue payment on imports had picked up marginally, as a result of the parallel operations being run by the service providers, considerable progress had also been made on the ICUMS integration to the various freight stations at the port.
Operators of the new ICUMS system had been able to accept and process documentation on imports and exports at the Customs Division’s James Town Collection Point.
Meeting
The Minister of Trade, Mr Alan Kyerematen; the Commissioner-General of the GRA, Mr Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah; Col Damoah and the technical committee on the ICUMS implementation held closed-door meetings with the shipping lines, the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) and the Meridian Port Services (MPS) yesterday.
A source told the Daily Graphic that the parties agreed that the simulation of import declaration documents through the new system should begin from today.
It further said although declarants could process import declarations on the ICUMS to a certain point and even pay duty, the inability of the operators to interface the system to the various freight stations would be a setback to the release of cargo through the platform.
“I can confirm that we can receive vessel manifest on about five shipping lines, including Bollore, among others, so we are trying to get the integration connectivity right,” the source added.
For his part, Col Damoah said operators of the ICUMS had been able to register a number of importers and agents onto the system.
“From the progress, we have made, I am certain that by tomorrow we can have petroleum revenue receipt fully on the ICUMS,” he said.