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The Bureau of Customs is calling on stakeholders to submit their position papers on the proposed rules for the In-Transit Asset Management and Supervision System
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The system will allow BOC and truck operators to track, monitor, and audit the location and condition of empty containers
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Deadline for position papers is March 6
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The ITAMS System will implement Customs Administrative Order No. 08-2019, particularly for empties
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BOC will accredit service provider/s for the ITAMS System, which will involve the use of electronic customs seals, similar to that of the BOC E-TRACC System
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Importers, truck operators, or customs brokers will be permitted to return empty containers to any yard of their choice in cases where the designated yard of the shipping lines refuses or fails to accept said containers within the two-hour threshold
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A minimum of P850 per container booked fee is proposed
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) is calling on stakeholders to submit their position papers on the proposed rules for the system that will cover the inland movement, monitoring, and re-exportation of empty foreign containers.
The draft customs memorandum order (CMO) will implement the In-Transit Asset Management and Supervision System (ITAMS System), a secure and interactive system that will allow BOC and truck operators to track, monitor, and audit the location and condition of empty containers.
Stakeholders have until March 6 to submit their position papers to BOC.
Relatedly, BOC earlier said it is looking into tighter supervision and regulation of empty container depots via the mandatory use of an automated inventory management system that will allow BOC to strictly monitor and generate real-time and accurate information capacity of empty container depots.
This is one of the measures aimed to address current high yard utilization – especially for reefers – in Manila international terminals and empty container depots.
The ITAMS System will be a component subset of the import monitoring program of BOC and implements – particularly for empty containers – Customs Administrative Order (CAO) No. 08-2019, which provides the policies on the admission, movement, and re-exportation of containers at seaports.
CAO 08-2019 was the first order to specifically cover the monitoring and control of movement of containers, though some of its rules are already being implemented by BOC, such as the 90-day dwell time and special permit to load.
Under the draft CMO, the ITAMS System software platform will be used by BOC’s Piers and Inspection Division (PID) or its equivalent office, and the truck operators to track and monitor the voyage of the empty container that is sealed with an electronic customs seal (ECS).
The BOC deputy commissioner for Assessment and Operations Coordinating Group will oversee the operations and implementation of the ITAMS System.
BOC will accredit service provider/s for the ITAMS System, which will involve the use of ECS, a GPS (global positioning system)-enabled sealing device or lock that physically secures a cargo and provides real-time information on its location.
This is similar to BOC’s Electronic Tracking of Containerized Cargoes, which also uses ECS to track the inland movement of containerized cargoes during transit and transfer to other customs territories and facilities.
READ: BOC expands E-TRACC coverage to barges, domestic vessels
Truck operators will have access to the ITAMS System to allow them to receive and view details of bookings, assign and allocate trucks and truck drivers, monitor the movement and locations of all containers, and get real-time alarms through the ITAMS System dashboard and through SMS/email.
The draft CMO said the ECS will be required as a monitoring tool for the movement of empty containers from the origin such as the importer’s warehouse and customs facilities and warehouses (CFWs) to the destination container yard.
Except when circumstances are warranted under the CMO, empty containers will only be sealed with an ECS after performing security procedures prior to movement.
The locking/unlocking of the ECS on empty containers will be performed by authorized personnel of the accredited ITAMS System service provider.
READ: BOC calls for strict compliance to rules on disarming customs e-seal
In accordance with Section 3.2. of CMO 13-2019 (interim guidelines on the return of empty containers at the Port of Manila and Manila International Container Port), importers, truck operators, or customs brokers will be permitted to return empty containers to any container yard of their choice in cases where the designated container yard of the shipping lines refuses or fails to accept said containers within the two-hour threshold.
The cost of returning the empty containers to the alternative container yard, including any storage fees, will be borne by the concerned shipping lines or their duly authorized agents.
The ITAMS System will also have the capability to generate automated trip reports that detail the movement of containers from the importer’s warehouse/CFW to the container yard. This will be used as a reference point to determine container dwell time. Under CAO 08-2019, containers arriving, whether loaded or empty, should be re-exported within 90 days from the date of discharge of the last package. Beyond 90 days, they will be considered overstaying and issued an assessment notice.
In the event of any alerts received, signs of tampering, and discrepancies, the ITAMS System authorized personnel should report these to any of the established truck associations operating within the Philippines.
The truck association will proceed to investigate and levy any corresponding sanctions to the violators, if any. The truck association will also report to BOC any incidents of tampering and discrepancies identified in the process of returning empty containers.
Each ITAMS System service provider will determine its respective fee structures for the use of the ECS based on several factors such as market conditions and systems sustainability requirements, among others, which will be submitted in the financial proposal.
The ITAMS System service provider, however, should comply with the minimum of P850 per container booked fee through the ITAMS System, including any instances of rerouting.
BOC will collect from the ITAMS System service provider a service fee for the monitoring and supervision of the ITAMS System equivalent to 10% of the fees collected in accordance with the published rate for the use of the ITAMS System and the ECS. This is a similar requirement with the E-TRACC SyStem. — Roumina Pablo
