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A designated examination area inside Davao International Container Terminal may soon be established
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Bureau of Customs-Port of Davao and DICT officials recently met to plan for the establishment of the facility
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Initial plans call for the DEA to accommodate eight containers at the same time although there is a recent proposal to expand capacity to 10
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Construction may take about 60 days with the facility starting operations possibly by early next year
A designated examination area (DEA) within Davao International Container Terminal (DICT) may soon be established.
Bureau of Customs-Port of Davao and DICT officials recently met to finalize plans for the proposed DEA within the Panabo, Davao del Norte terminal. The DEA is designed to streamline and enhance the inspection process for imported shipments requiring examination, BOC-Davao said in a statement.
Examinations at DICT are currently conducted in the yard, BOC-Davao district collector Maritess Martin said in a phone interview with PortCalls.
Martin said the DEA will provide safety to customs employees, stakeholders, and representatives of trade regulatory agencies during examinations. Additionally, it is designed to improve efficiency by providing a dedicated space and system for the examination process.
According to Martin, the DEA was initially seen to accommodate eight containers simultaneously, with a designated area for stripping to protect cargoes from exposure to the elements. But in a recent meeting, BOC-Davao suggested expanding capacity to 10 containers, considering the available space as presented by DICT.
BOC-Davao also requested a small office within the DEA for customs examiners, cargo owners, and regulatory agency representatives.
DICT is tasked with constructing the DEA and providing the necessary operational equipment.
Martin said that, as per DICT, construction of the DEA may take about 60 days, with operations potentially commencing early next year. – Roumina Pablo
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