Digital ship clearance

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) and Singapore have selected the Port of Lobito for a pilot project to establish an efficient digitalised system for electronic exchange of information in ports for ship clearance.

“Increased digitalization supports greater efficiency which benefits the ship, the port and wider supply chain,” said Julian Abril, head of IMO’s facilitation section.

What will happen in the project?

The Single Window for Facilitation of Trade (SWiFT) project will develop a system for the pilot port to allow electronic submission, through one single portal, of all information required by various Government agencies when a ship calls at a port. This concept is known as the Maritime Single Window (MSW) system. 

Regulations in IMO’s Facilitation Convention require electronic exchange of data, to ensure the efficient clearance of ships. The single window concept is recommended, in order to avoid duplication of effort.  Individual data elements should only be submitted once, electronically through a single point of entry, to the relevant regulatory agencies and other parties. 

Under the pilot project, the selected country will be advised on the necessary legal, policy and institutional requirements for the MSW system. The port will then be provided with functional MSW software, hardware and/or IT services, configured to the country’s needs. Training will also be provided, as well as advice on policy reforms required to successfully implement an MSW.

The pilot will be supported by Singapore, specifically the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), via in-kind contributions, and by IMO via the Integrated Technical Cooperation Programme (ITCP). 

Project activities will commence by 15 November. Following the initial pilot, the aim is to replicate the project in other IMO Member States in need of similar technical assistance.  

The IMO-Singapore SWiFT project builds upon an earlier successful project that delivered a maritime single window system in Antigua and Barbuda with in-kind and financial support provided by Norway.