Photo courtesy of the Bureau of Customs Port of Cebu
MANDAUE CITY, Cebu – The Port of Cebu already started last week its implementation of an Electronic Tracking of Containerized Cargo (E-TRACC) System for containerized shipments that will initially cover the PEZA-bound shipments.
Its E-TRACC System is a web-based platform that can generate real-time information to monitor the movement and location of containers using GPS-enabled customs seal.
The technology sends an alarm to the Port for any deviation in its routes, unauthorized trips, and the tampering of its seal, said an advisory which the Bureau of Customs Port of Cebu released on Monday night, December 7, 2020.
PEZA locators can book trips using the Port of Cebu’s E-TRACC System. As soon as the corresponding online release message is generated, the container will proceed to the Port’s Arming Station for the installation of the Electronic Customs Seal.
The Port Operations Division (POD) will then authorize the trip to allow the truck to depart from the Port to the destined PEZA Locator. Upon arrival, the integrity of the customs seal is checked before it is removed from the container.
| Photo courtesy of the Bureau of Customs Port of Cebu
“The E-TRACC System is an innovation that dispenses the need for our customs officers to physically accompany the delivery of shipments from the Port to their destination. With the use of the E-TRACC System as a platform to track and monitor the movement of sealed cargoes, we will be able to identify fraudulent acts when these cargoes depart from our Port. Utilizing information and communications technology, the interest of the government is protected while making sure that our stakeholders are not inconvenienced,” Atty. Marc Anthony C. Patriarca, Cebu Deputy District Collector for Operations, was quoted in the BOC advisory.
Last November 18, the Port conducted a webinar via Zoom and Facebook Live to prepare its personnel for the implementation of its E-TRACC System, which is among the Bureau’s priority programs that is designed “to further intensify border protection and enhance trade facilitation.”
/bmjo
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