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GRA launches Status Monitors to improve the efficiency of the Shipping Industry

Jan 03, 2011 News

The Guyana Revenue Authority last Friday launched its Status Monitors; an initiative intended to improve the process of importation.
This device will update importers as to what stage of processing their shipment is positioned at any given moment by displaying information on the status of containers and other shipments.
Commissioner General Khurshid Sattaur at Friday’s launching at the John Fernandes Wharf, said that the introduction of the Status Monitor is to establish transparency in the process of importation that is at present only “somewhat transparent”.
The newly launched Status Monitor will, in effect, inform importers when their cargo – mainly containers – are due to be released or whether they will be held for inspection. Sattaur noted that this technology will decrease the need for customers to interact personally with Custom Officers.
The Commissioner General added, in this regard, too often Custom Officers are blamed when an importer fails to receive his shipment promptly. He said that the introduction of this device is intended to remove this unnecessary blaming.
Further, he posited that this initiative is part of a worldwide movement to utilize information technology to improve efficiency in the shipping industry.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of John Fernandes Limited, Chris Fernandes acknowledged this endeavour of the GRA to improve the service provided by the shipping sector. He noted that the industry as a whole is continuously making strides to improve the service provided to customers.
Presently, these Status Monitors have also been installed at the wharves of the Guyana National Shipping Company and Guyana National Industrial Corporation.
Last December, Carlos Urriola, President of the Caribbean Shipping Association, at a presentation in Georgetown, emphasized the salience of capacity building and IT efficiency in positioning the shipping sector to take advantage of a global and regional shipping boom.
The challenges burdening the shipping industry in Guyana, as diagnosed by Urriola, include: maritime security, draft restrictions and lack of navigational aids, dredging of the Demerara Channel to accommodate larger vessels, preparedness to tap into a Southern Caribbean Cruise itinerary that could include Guyana and an adequate & cost effective port development.
Urriola urged that Guyana take measures to adopt the Regional Integrated Maritime Strategy (RIMS), which was described as long term synergistic plan of action for the maritime sector (cargo, cruise & luxury yacht) in the Caribbean and Latin American region, aimed at ensuring sustainable viability across all facets of the industry.
RIMS, it was pointed out, provides a framework for closer relationships within the maritime sector with a view to developing regional maritime interests.
Urriola posited that an important deliverable of RIMS is to identify sources of funding for RIMS specific projects, preferably through public-private-partnerships.
Chairman of the Guyana Shipping Association Andrew Astwood had spoken, last December, of a new customs warehouse and the acquisition of a container scanner soon to be commissioned. In this regard, Astwood submitted, “We must recognize the work of the National Competitiveness Strategy Unit in this process and commend the GRA for responding positively to the recommendations.”

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