Portbase News

The Port of Rotterdam Authority has again put its preparatory measures for a No-Deal Brexit on hold following recommendations from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.The largest port in Europe, located in the city of Rotterdam, Netherlands, said in a press note attributed the reason to the agreement reached yesterday by member states of the European Union and the United Kingdom on a Brexit extension until 31 January 2020."In concrete terms, this means that, effective from today, the buffer parking locations for trucks will again be dismantled. This parking was intended for trucks that, as a consequence of Brexit, did not have their papers in order," it said.Extension does not mean annulment.

All partners including Customs, the Port of Rotterdam Authority, the Port of Amsterdam Authority, PortBase and the involved municipalities are working hard on preparations for a possible no-deal Brexit on 31 October 2019.The aim of the coordinated action is to minimize any delays resulting from additional customs formalities at Rotterdam en Vlaardingen ferry terminals, said a press release from the Port of Rotterdam Authority.So-called traffic circulation plans have been designed for this and parking sites have been designated for any trucks that do not have the necessary paperwork to meet the new customs formalities that come into places as soon as the United Kingdom leaves the European Union, it said.

The last Trilogue negotiation between the Council, the European Commission and the European Parliament on the “European Maritime Single Window environment”, (EMSWe) took place in Brussels.The EU is streamlining its ship reporting systems by creating a EMSWe, which will bring together all reporting formalities associated with a port call.The final text contains a compromise that provides security for Port Community Systems in relation to the public National Single Windows that have to act as access points at the national level for all reporting formalities.Port Community Systems that meet the requirements of the European reporting interface module must be allowed by member states as additional reporting systems.

The cooperating sector organisations in Dutch ports together with PortBase launched the campaign website www.getreadyforbrexit.eu that guides companies quickly through Dutch ports.According to a release from the Port of Rotterdam Authority, this enables exporters, importers and their logistics service providers to see at a glance what they need to do to transport their cargo quickly to the United Kingdom after Brexit.The website focuses on informing and activating parties in the logistic chain, such as importers, exporters, carriers and freight forwarders. ‘Client journeys’ have been established per target group to show step-by-step…

essDOCS announced that Non-Executive Board Member, Andre Toet, has been appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors, succeeding Barry Williams, who is standing down after chairing the board since 2013, having previously served a term as Chairman from 2006 to 2011. Andre Toet possesses over 30 years of maritime industry experience and has held numerous supervisory board positions, of which PortInfolink (subsequently Portbase), directly supported his previous role as Non-Executive Board Member for essDOCS. He has served as Managing Director of P&O Nedlloyd Europe, CEO of Maersk Central Europe, COO of the Port of Rotterdam and, since 2011, CEO for Sohar Industrial Port Company in Oman.

Hans Nagtegaal (49) has been appointed the new Head of Containers at the Port of Rotterdam Authority. He is a highly experienced manager from the world of shipping and logistics, who enjoyed a successful career at P&O NedLloyd (in China, among other places), ultimately becoming director of the NileDutch Africa Line, via Safmarine. Hans Nagtegaal succeeds Joyce Bliek. The Port Authority has created a new position, in which Joyce Bliek will focus on improving and streamlining digital communication and the exchange of information in the supply chain. The increases in scale in container shipping result in peak volumes and cause a lot of stress in logistics, partly because a great deal of the information needed is fragmented across this chain.

The agro-industrial concern Cargill has won the 5th Port Community Award. The agro-industrial concern with branches in Amsterdam and Rotterdam also won a prize in the category shipping companies/ship’s agents/agents during the festive awards ceremony. Other prize winners were Ritra Cargo Holland (category freight forwarders/exporters/importers), APM Terminals Maasvlakte ll and RWG (category terminals/hinterland terminals) and Frankenbach from Germany (category hinterland carriers). The Port Community Award rewards the company that distinguishes itself most in its exchange of information via the Port Community System of the Dutch ports. This exchange of information is becoming increasingly important for the ports and the port business community.

Good connections between seaports and the hinterland are vital for optimizing the logistic chain. The Port of Rotterdam Authority and the Bayernhafen Gruppe are therefore working together in the ‘Bayrolo’ research program. The aim of this cross-border project is to further improve intermodal container transport between Bavaria and the port of Rotterdam. By taking containers off the road and shipping them by barge and rail, cargo flows will be able to continue growing and the port of Rotterdam will be able to offer the German inland ports an alternative seaport.

The European Port Community Systems Association (EPCSA) is determined to keep its focus on the important issues and maintain close contact with officers and decision-makers in the European Commission, according to the association’s new chairman and vice-chairman. Alan Long, managing director of Felixstowe-based Maritime Cargo Processing (MCP), has been appointed chairman of EPCSA, and Piet Jan ten Thije, strategy and business director of Rotterdam-based Portbase, is the new vice chairman of the association.

Electronic Shipping Solutions, a provider of electronic shipping documents, announces four senior appointments to its main Board. These new members bring experience from the shipping, ports, legal and finance sectors to ESS and underpin its expansion into the container shipping market, following the successful roll-out of the ESS CargoDocs solution for electronic bills of lading in the bulk liquid markets. Well-known names from the ports and liner shipping sector, André Toet and Nigel Pusey, join legal expert Noel Buttigieg-Scicluna on the board. Finance specialist Robert Mai succeeds James Fields, who is stepping down. Toet brings 25 years of maritime experience at P&O Nedlloyd, Maersk and Port of Rotterdam to the ESS board.