The International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) announces the launch of a global questionnaire of the world’s ports as part of its commitment to support the wide-ranging adoption of secure electronic data exchange.
This follows the call to action communiqué initiated by IAPH back in June which includes assessing the state of implementation of the requirements defined in the International Maritime Organization’s Facilitation (IMOFAL) Convention.
IAPH Managing Director Patrick Verhoeven commented : “The COVID19 pandemic and the need for safe ship-shore interactions have pushed ports to digitalize. While some IMO member states and ports have achieved some gains, implementing electronic data exchange remains work in progress. Ultimately the aim is to enable and accelerate trade through the world’s ports. This questionnaire aims to assess the status of that work in progress and the challenges being faced by all parties in the process”
The different FAL conventions are in place to support transmission, receipt, and response of information needed for the ships’ arrival, stay, and departure as well as the data on both cargo and passengers.
IAPH Technical Director Antonis Michael added : “The ultimate aim in adopting harmonized electronic data exchange is to save time and effort on board and ashore through secure, streamlined electronic reporting. By understanding exactly how electronic data exchange is currently being used at ports, a concrete plan can be drawn up on how to support that adoption.”
The questionnaire on electronic interchange, which is confidential and open to all ports, consists of eight questions which will provide key insights into where most efforts are needed to provide expertise, capacity building and in some cases technical infrastructure to streamline efficient data exchange between the port community and the ships calling at their ports…
