IMO announced that a feasibility study to look into the possible expansion of the Northeast Asia Logistics Information Service Network (NEAL-NET) was undertaken in Cambodia, as part of a project co-funded by IMO and China. The envisaged expansion of NEAL-NET is expected to support the implementation of the revised Facilitation Convention, which will require public authorities to establish systems for the electronic exchange of information relating to ships’ cargo, crew and passengers, by 8 April 2019.
A team of consultants was in Cambodia (12-18 February), meeting a range of stakeholders (from the Merchant Marine Department, Phnom Penh Ports Authority, the Civil Aviation Authority, the Bureau of Customs, ship brokers and ship agents associations) and making site visits to ports at Phnom Penh and SihanoukVille. The aim was to gain a better understanding of existing systems of port logistics information and to identify the port or ports where NEAL-NET might be implemented. A similar feasibility study will be undertaken in Myanmar in March.
Once the feasibility studies have been completed, the countries concerned will be able to identify the technical and financial needs for possible inclusion in the NEAL-NET mechanism and will be in a position to apply for relevant funding from national or international institutions. IMO previously conducted national seminars on “Electronic means for the clearance of ships and use of the single window concept” in Cambodia (2014) and Myanmar (2013).
NEAL-NET was established in 2010 by China, Japan and the Republic of Korea as a transnational, non-profit cooperative mechanism for logistics information exchange and technological cooperation.
Source: IMO
