Digital delivery orders from Ctg port’s shipping agents from Dec 1
The Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) is going to introduce online system for issuance of delivery orders by the shipping agents or freight forwarders against import consignments.
The CPA on Monday evening issued a notice urging six leading shipping agents to issue electronic delivery order (EDO) on experimental basis from December 1.
The six shipping agents are APL Bangladesh Pvt Ltd, Maersk Bangladesh Ltd, Continental Traders BD Ltd, Continental Traders, Ocean International Ltd and MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company Bangladesh Ltd.
These six handle major portion of the country's import consignments.
At present, the clearing and forwarding agents collect the delivery orders (DOs) physically from the offices of the shipping agents or freight forwarders on behalf of the importers in order to get delivery of imported consignments.
Shipping agents usually issue the DO while in some cases freight forwarders issue it if they (freight forwarders) are involved in any shipment.
CPA Secretary Md Omar Faruk said the port authority has created terminal operating system under which a digital module named as electronic delivery order has been developed where the shipping agents or freight forwarders would upload required data to issue the DOs.
Once the shipping agents and freight forwarders are brought under the system, the importers will not need to collect it physically, he opined.
All the parties, including the CPA, customs authority, shipping agents, freight forwarders and clearing and forwarding agents, would be able to see the uploaded data through the system and thus fraudulences could be checked, said the CPA secretary.
Hailing the port authority for the initiative, Bangladesh Freight Forwarders Association Vice President Khairul Alam Sujan said such system would help importers to save a lot of time and money.
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