Port Community System Jamaica
In 2016, the PAJ established the PCS Operator unit, which is dedicated to the implementation, maintenance and management of the PCS platform. In addition, it provides training and support to the Jamaican Port Community. The team is made of a diverse, multi-skilled set of team members that were drawn from various sectors including the local Shipping Industry.
Key Features
Clients increasingly demand more from logistics service providers. Companies therefore need to innovate so as not to be left behind by competitors using technology to offer their clients with services of strategic value. JamaicaPCS offers companies a platform that will increase their overall efficieny and improve on the services they offer to their clients by providing them with added-value operational services. The platform is easy to use and comes with the guarantee of offering users the most advanced and secure technology to transmit data electronically.
Paperless environment
Global Accessibility
High Availability
Streamlined Processes
Data Security
Interoperability
Explore the JamaicaPCS Services
Tracking & Tracing
The PCS allows stakeholders to closely monitor the activities regarding their consignments with the Track and Trace module. This will provide transparency and allow for planning activities related to cargo release. Whether they choose to login to the PCS or subscribe to real-time notifications, they will be privy to a wealth of useful and time-sensitive information. This will serve to enable visibility across the supply chain thus boosting stakeholders’ efficiency, reputation and reliability.
Manifest Processing
The shipping Manifest is one of the key documents in the shipping process and is generally used by many players across the community. As the new central hub, the PCS will receive manifests from Shipping Agents in various formats, validate with Customs and then deliver them to other important stakeholders. For those players who cannot send manifests in any of the traditional industry file formats, the PCS provides a standard online user interface which enables fast and convenient creation as well as submission of manifests and related documentation. It will also cater to the amendment of manifests and the management of payments, where deemed necessary by Customs.
Truck Appointments
The Truck Appointment System (TAS) allows truckers to make booking arrangements with terminal operators for the delivery or collection of empty and full containers. Although the application sports a simple and intuitive user interface for the creation, approval and rejection of appointments, it also provides advanced tools for the effective management of appointments by all parties involved. While the TAS standardizes the appointment management experience for the entire community, it allows granular control for various players including terminals who require the flexibility to manage some parameters such as the number and size of time slots per day and the prioritization of containers and trucking companies.
Customs
The PCS will perform various functions on behalf of the Jamaica Customs Agency (JCA). Based on this approach, the JCA has designated the PCS as an Authorized Customs System pursuant to the Customs Act. With the integration of the JCA’s Automated System for Customs Data (ASYCUDA World), the systems are expected to provide a complete and modern trade platform for Jamaica, thus enabling cargo transparency along the supply chain. The PCS is expected to handle many functions on behalf of the JCA, allowing the agency to re-allocate resources to more important business functions. For logistics related activities including manifests and transhipment, the PCS is the main communicative interface between stakeholders and Customs. It will also handle much of the message brokerage responsibilities, enabling transparency for Customs processing activities, including manifest, transhipment and declaration approvals as well as customs gatepass releases.
Electronic Delivery Order
JamaicaPCS will implement a facility whereby Shipping Lines and Agents will be able to create and deliver Electronic Import Delivery Orders (EIDO). Before Importers or their Customs Brokers are allowed to pick up their import cargo, they are required to pay to the Shipping Line/Agent freight and related charges. In moving forward, the shipping Line/Agent will in turn create and immediately send electronically the Commercial Release for the Cargo and advise the Importers, Custom Brokers or their Agents of the Delivery Order. Importers or their Agents will still retain the right to request and receive Original (hard copy ) Bills of Lading from the Shipping Agents; if they so desire.
Business Intelligence
Once all of the modules within the JamaicaPCS are fully deployed within the Port Community, various members of the Community will be able to create and request various reports surrounding their transactions as well as those third-party activities surrounding goods in their charge. The PCS’ business intelligence component will also allow them to set individual Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) so that they may assess and manage their own company’s performance.
Export Bookings
The Shipping Agents will have the ability to send information on export bookings to the PCS, this will then allow freight forwarders to pick-up empty containers, input the cargo within them and then update the export bookings accordingly. This will allow the freight forwarders to communicate electronically and efficiently on the cargo that has been packed within the Container for Export. The Export Bookings will also be utilized to assist with the management of empty containers, as shipping agents will be able to allocate empty containers to their clients based on the specific requirements of the exporters in a transparent and electronic manner.
Transhipment
The PCS, operating as a single window platform, allows shipping agents an optimized and stress-free method of handling transhipment. Given that the majority of the information that is traditionally entered on the transhipment bill is already stored in the PCS (under the manifest entry), shipping agents only have to select the goods to be transhipped using the PCS’ online user interface. In comparison with current tools utilized across the industry, studies show this method will reduce the time to complete transhipment documentation by 88%.
Message Broker
The PCS is inherently a message brokerage platform and as Jamaica’s central hub for trade and logistics information, it will handle the secure passage of data between different stakeholders across the local and international port community. While many perceive it as an online web application, the platform works autonomously in the background to manage secure and efficient electronic data interchange. While it can easily move data using various methods, it also excels at message parsing and production and has been built to utilize/create files of almost any format required by the port community.
Web Interface
The PCS platform is an advanced toolset for the entire Jamaican port community. The majority of its functionality is implemented in an online web application which is accessible to stakeholders throughout the industry. Having been customized to satisfy Jamaica’s requirements, it integrates with many different public and private organizations including Customs, Shipping Terminals, Warehouses and Government bodies.
With a minimalist design the PCS boasts a high-quality user interface, allowing users to quickly complete many core logistics transactions from the comfort of their offices, their homes and even from abroad. Whether they use desktop computers, tablets or smartphones, the PCS’ web interface is optimized to provide a user-friendly and efficient experience for stakeholders using its entire tool-base.
Voyage Management
The PCS manages information about the calls of various cargo carriers doing business within Jamaica. It allows shipping agents to pre-register, in a standard interface, various details including the arrival and departure of the carriers under their charge. In order to improve the agents’ efficiency, it allows for call registrations well in advance of arrival, as well as on a repeating basis. Similar calls can also be duplicated for ease of action.
The module also allows agents to quickly designate freight agents (e.g. NVOCC) submitting cargo for inclusion on their arrival and departure voyages. This allows the freight agents to associate the voyage with their own manifests which they can independently submit or create inside the PCS.
Once vessels enter Jamaica’s national space, the PCS maintains a database of vessel movement checkpoints for further dissemination to various stakeholders.
Hazardous Cargo Reporting
The International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code is accepted as an international guideline to the safe transportation of dangerous goods or hazardous materials by water on vessel.
As per the code, the carriage of dangerous goods and environmental pollutants is strictly regulated in order to reasonably prevent harm to persons and the environment as well as avoid damage to vessels and their cargo. In that regard, the PCS aims to promotes all-round safety in order to minimize the risks to life and property inherent in the commercial transportation of hazardous materials.
By adopting the use of The International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Class Codes in the management of all cargo information passing thru its platform, the PCS will help to enhance the safe carriage of hazardous goods while facilitating unrestricted movement.
Based on various business rules governing this type of cargo, all information about hazardous cargo entering or exiting the country will be automatically distributed to various critical organizations including Customs, Terminal Operators and Regulatory Agencies.
FAL Convention
The Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic (FAL Convention) includes in its Standard 2.1 a list of documents which public authorities generally require from ships operating in national waters.
These documents include the following:
- IMO General Declaration (FAL form 1)
- Cargo Declaration (FAL form 2)
- Ship’s Stores Declaration (FAL form 3)
- Crew’s Effects Declaration (FAL form 4)
- Crew List (FAL form 5)
- Passenger List (FAL form 6)
- Dangerous Goods (FAL form 7)
As one can imagine, the information contained in these documents is crucial to the well-being of the receiving country and for various reasons relevant to public health, criminality and natural environment.
The PCS will implement mandatory collection of this information from Shipping Lines for every visit to the country and will further disseminate this information to the necessary public bodies ahead of ship arrival.
Gate Authorizations
The platform will be deeply integrated into the goods release process wherein specific authorizations are required to allow containers and goods to exit locations. In that regard, it replaces much of the traditionally physical documentation utilized in these activities.
The PCS will digitize authorization documents from various stakeholders including Delivery Orders, Terminal Releases, Customs Releases and Trucker Identification in addition to Truck Licensing and Registration. As such, Operational and Security personnel handling trucks at the Terminals’ entrance and exit gates can use the PCS to view, in one place, all the above authorizations. This pertains to the collection of empty containers, delivery of export containers, collection of import containers and return of empty containers.
Inspections
With the large variety of cargo types entering and exiting the country, various state Agencies must operate within the shipping industry for the purpose of ensuring public health and safety, accurate revenue collection and reduced criminality. The basic role of these Agencies is to ensure that harmful entities including pests, diseases and illegal products do not enter the country while ensuring that only untainted high quality products are exported. In order to meet this requirement, personnel from these Agencies are charged with the responsibility for managing permits and the ensuing inspection of relevant cargo.
Based on business rules, the PCS will automatically provide timely information about relevant cargo entering and exiting the country to inspection personnel. Per container, pallet, cylinder or otherwise, inspecting personnel will be able to quickly gather intelligence about cargo contents, quantities, origins, handlers and so on. The PCS will provide them with real-time alerts so they know when the cargo has arrived and is in place for inspection.
For more information visit https://www.jamaicapcs.com/