Polish-Finnish seminar on electronic data interchange

06.06.2005

On May 31 this year, the Port of Gdansk Authority SA was playing host to the Polish-Finnish seminar on the cooperation in electronic data interchange related to handling ships and cargoes within the Baltic region. The subject matter of the seminar comprised a demonstration of the PortNet IT system - a nationwide system for handling ships and cargoes in Finnish ports.

Maritime administration, border guards and customs services in each of the countries within the Baltic region aim at a centralized and computerized flow of information connected with the advising and registration of vessels and cargoes, include hazardous cargoes, as well as a widespread access to such data made available to relevant services, port authorities, cargo terminals and the like.

Upon the presentation of the latest PortNet system release by representatives of the Finnish maritime and customs administration it appears evident that the Finns have successfully achieved the goal and are to be praised for their determination and effectiveness in accomplishing measures embarked on in the early 1990s. The driving force behind this accomplishment has been assumed by the Finnish Ministry of Transport that not only fulfills the role of initiating and coordinating the measures taken by specific state administration services and the private sector, but also provides financial support of some 50% of the expenditure on developing and operating the nationwide system.

At the seminar, representatives of the Finnish Maritime Administration gave a detailed introduction of specific data blocks related to preparing calls and clearance of ships and goods shipped to/from Finland. The Finns have computerized the registration of all 7 documents provided for under the IMO-FAL convention (from General Declaration to Cargo Manifest) and declarations resulting from the SOLAS convention and the ISPS code in terms of the security and safety of shipping and port facilities. Participants of the seminar were particularly impressed by the presentation made by a customs officer servicing the Port of Turku, who, based on actual data regarding the ship regularly operating on the route Gdynia - Helsinki, proved that the Finnish customs services are capable of preparing and efficiently running the clearance of the ship and goods within the EU territory without using any documents in a traditional form.

The meeting was attended by a large number of delegates representing the customs administration at the Ministry of Finance, as well as Customs Chambers of Gdynia and Szczecin, Maritime Office in Gdynia, Border Guards, Port of Gdynia Authority SA, Port of Gdansk Authority SA, Maritime Institute, Logistics Institute, Port of Gdansk Cargo Logistics Ltd and the company of "Infoport".

Based on the acquired experience and expertise, under the UE project - BASIM (Baltic Sea Information Motorway), a piloting concept is set to be developed aiming at the interchange of electronic data between the maritime administrations of Poland and Finland, and port authorities that operate shipping connections between each other. Prerequisites are also being developed for the work to be commenced on the nationwide concept of providing Single Window Administration (One Stop Shop) in terms of the electronically effected handling of vessels and cargoes in Poland - in compliance with the respective EU directive.