Exports of vehicles via terminals in Antwerp and Zeebrugge
The Antwerp Port Community System in collaboration with the port of Zeebrugge has introduced an e-Desk for ro/ro. After the successful launch of the e-Desk for containers in January 2012, the system was expanded at the beginning of this year to cover rolling stock as well.
All exports of new and second-hand vehicles can now be declared electronically, thus doing away with paper-based accompanying documentation. To make declarations in the e-Desk it is necessary to have four items of information, namely the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number, i.e. the 17-letter chassis number), the MRN (Movement Reference Number of the declaration), the type of transaction (export or transit, as they are handled by two different systems) and the Customs office of the point of export (Antwerp or Zeebrugge).
The advantages of the e-Desk include having the same procedure in both ports, as well as uniform Customs reporting and thus more rapid Customs processing for exports. This in turn means that exporters can quickly offer reliable evidence that their goods have left the EU, which is necessary for VAT processing.
The collaboration between Antwerp and Zeebrugge in automating the port processes is the result of good agreements within the Cargo Community System, a non-profit organisation in which the ports of Antwerp, Ghent and Zeebrugge collaborate with the Customs authorities, the Flemish government and the waterway operators W&Z and De Scheepvaart with a view to streamlining the flow of information within the logistics chain.
The e-Desk went live at the beginning of January 2014 for exports from ICO Terminals in Zeebrugge, and will shortly also be available for exports via the other ro/ro terminals in Antwerp (AET and ICO) and Zeebrugge (WWL).
Source and Image Credit: Port of Antwerp
