摘要: |
Maintaining the through-flow of cargo is essential, but global supply chains have proven extremely delicate and vulnerable by the work stoppages and interruptions more than a year into the COVID-19 pandemic. Part of the problem is that processes are antiquated, and a reliance on human intervention holds up the system. BIMCO highlighted that only 49 of the 174 IMO member states have port community systems, whereupon stakeholders can coordinate port processes without having to rely on telephone calls and sheaves ofpaperwork. The IAPH, together with major maritime associations, made a joint statement in 2020 that called on port operators to collaborate and implement smart port measures. China Merchants Port Holdings Co Ltd (China Merchants Port) offers one example of how this can be done: operating ports across the Greater Bay Area, which services an area of mainland China incorporating 11 cities and seven different customs regimes. Expediting these processes has been a major priority for the company. This has been achieved using a coordinated port model, whereupon an international hub port corresponds with a hinterland counter-port. Customs processes undertaken at the inland port are similar to when the container reaches the export terminal and vice versa; meanwhile, the cargo is free to move by barge, unimpeded by the process. |