MARITIME SINGLE WINDOW

By: Lawyer Lizett M. Carrero G. INEA Venezuela

The facilitation of maritime trade is an important aspect of maritime transport. The entities of the port ecosystem must guarantee the interoperability of systems through digital data exchange, ensuring the unification of criteria and the establishment of clear rules to provide legal, administrative, electronic and financial security. 

BACKGROUND

Due to the complexity of ships arriving at ports, the IMO promoted an international instrument called the Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic (FAL 65), adopted in 1965 and ratified by the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in 2001, which entered into force in our country in 2002.

Its objectives are.

  1. To simplify and reduce formalities, documents and procedures.
  2. Unify and standardize procedures and information in order to streamline the requirements of the ship-port system, minimizing time.
  3. Stimulate inter-institutional cooperation with the private sector.

As of January 1, 2024, with the adoption by the IMO Facilitation Committee, at its 37th session, of the amendments to the FAL 65 Convention regarding the establishment of a Maritime Single Window System, its implementation will become mandatory in the world's ports. This tool is an important step towards accelerating the digitalization of maritime trade, a digital platform that allows the reporting of standardized information through a single point of entry, avoiding the need to submit it separately to different authorities that make life in the ship-port-customs system, providing greater efficiency in logistics operations, simplifying procedures, reducing costs and waiting times.

MARITIME SINGLE WINDOW VENEZUELA, VISION AND PERSPECTIVE

The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, through the Ministry of Popular Power for Transport, promoted the development of the Maritime Single Window System to avoid unnecessary delays in international maritime traffic, in coordination between the entities of the ship-port interface.

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the Ministry of Popular Power for Transport (MPPT) signed a "Project Agreement for the Digitalization of the Processes of the Ship-Port-Customs System" to digitalize and/or integrate the platforms of the National Water and Port Authority (INEA), Bolivarian Ports Company, S.A. (BOLIPUERTOS) and the National Integrated Service of Customs and Tax Administration (SENIAT), prior to the arrival, during their stay and departure of ships, through the B2G digital exchange between ASYCUDA World, through the data integration platform ASYHUB, with its native database in SENIAT, connecting the parties involved in the global supply chain, starting this process with a pilot test in our Port of La Guaira, La Guaira State.

It has been designed and developed under a comprehensive approach with the best practices and standards of technological, security and financial architecture. It contains the provisions that require cooperation and coordination for the implementation of the Port Management System and other facilitation strategies, allowing users to submit through the single portal the interaction of the actors of the maritime sector, documents and procedures, which requires the exchange of data and interconnection in the customs - ship - port interface by all organs and entities. This process of implementation of the computerized system for management, integration and automation of customs and port activities, through the Maritime Single Window System, will integrate the Foreign Trade Single Window (VUCE).

The National Commission of Facilitation of the Ship Port System is the articulating body with the entities involved in the Ship Port System and advisor, as well as promoter of continuous improvement actions, a figure created in the Law of Marinas and Related Activities, Article 16, in accordance with the Law Approving the Convention to Facilitate International Maritime Traffic, Official Gazette No. 5.559 Ext. dated November 19, 2001.

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