ICS to press on as terminals rely on weekend respite

<p>Customs minister Chris Ellison confirmed at lunchtime today (Friday, October 21) that Customs will press on with the new Integrated Cargo System for sea cargo reporting and import entries. </p> <p>The Compile contingency measures will remain in place beyond October 24. </p> <p>The minister appears to have been steered by advice from Customs and the stevedores, with both terminal operators reporting improved messaging and movement of containers as new initiatives started to bite in the last 24 hours</p> <p>More backlog is expected to clear over the weekend.</p> <p>Despite truck deliveries of cleared containers down to a third of their usual levels in Sydney yesterday, and 10 box ships due in the Sydney terminals today and tomorrow, both stevedores say there is as much risk in turning back as in pressing on. </p> <p>Both are calling for industry to use weekend truck slots to move cargo out, and Patrick has asked for lines to delay delivery of empties.</p> <p>However, Mr Ellison’s decision to go on has caused dismay at both the Australian Federation of International Forwarders and the Customs Brokers and Forwarders Council of Australia. </p> <p>"Words cannot describe how appalling this is. Industry has now been forced back to the cargo delivery methods of the 1960s," the CBFCA said in a statement. </p> <p>Despite expressing fears yesterday that shipping schedules could be in danger, Patrick Stevedores told customers today that reverting to sea cargo automation could be costly, disruptive, and contain unpredictable side effects. </p> <p>The stevedore said that Monday could be another critical point for the terminals in Sydney and Melbourne. </p> <p>A Patrick spokesman said: "We recognise the difficulties, and performance depends on Customs continuing to resolve the outstanding issues." </p> <p>Tim Blood, of P&#38O, said that the terminals "are not remotely close to turning ships, away as has been rumoured".</p> <p>Reverting to legacy systems would be a retrograde step, he said. </p> <p>"This is a major change that the whole industry has to work through," Mr Blood said. "Everybody has to do their bit to make this change. </p> <p>"We have had good support and co-operation from Customs.</p> <p>"We all have to look at ourselves and ask if we ready to make this change. It is too easy to make Customs the entire target."</p> <p>Mr Blood said that storage charges would remain in place, and were not offsetting P&#38O’s own costs in making the transition.</p> <p>The freight industry remains seething, however. ICS user representative Paul Zalai, who works with brokers and forwarders, said: "Industry is bleeding over this situation. Industry has been working enormous hours to generate a fraction of its usual productivity and this situation cannot be sustained.</p> <p>"The fundamental problem is that importers and brokers cannot complete declarations and match these to cargo reports without fully functional software, and with a completely useless customs interactive facility.</p> <p>"If they take the option to use the Compile extension arrangement, it is taking Customs up to five days to process and generate a release. </p> <p>"Throw on top of that the fact that we have transmission failures to the stevedores &#8211 it is no wonder we are in a total mess."</p> <p>Mr Zalai noted also his understanding that the Compile legacy systems can only be maintained until March 2006. </p> <p>"With more money thrown at them, the systems could go a little longer," he said. </p> <br />