29,000 GDs cleared: 'WeBOC system working successfully'

Web Based One Custom (WeBOC) system at the country's private seaport terminal is successfully working, as some 29,000 goods declarations (GDs) were cleared without brining a single consignment to a halt in one month operations, the Customs officials said on Thursday.
"The WeBOC, an indigenous goods clearance system, is expected to permanently replace the previous PaCCs system which costs Pakistan about Rs 1.5 billion annually," said chief co-ordinator, Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers and Exporters Association, M. Javed Bilwani told Business Recorder after a seminar on WeBOC at PHMA house.
Assistance Collector Customs, Asim Rehman and Project Manager WeBOC, Azeem Afzal through a projector presentation apprised the participants about the newly installed good clearance service, saying the system is working as a pilot project and had all but some additional options to facilitate the exporters.
Former Central Chairman PHMA, Saleem Parekh flanked by Additional Collector, Ahmad Addul Rauf, Javed Bilwani, Khawaja Usman, Babar Khan, Rafiq Godil and a large number of exporters were present at the seminar. They urged the exporters to feed all basic information in the system including cellular phone numbers, banks name and account number to reduce the problems normally surfacing due to lack of such details at export shipment stage.
They said Customs received information in WeBOC about cargo shipped in containers but the system did not find any details of loose cargo, however, work is under way to overcome the difficulty. They said the system contained an additional option, enabling the exporters to change details of consignment before gate-in stage, if needed. They assured the exporters the newly introduced web-based goods clearance system would work as a previously installed PaCCs had been doing. They said the present system had some problems which would be picked out soon in line with the exporters' recommendations and in the light of their complaints. They, however, appeared satisfied about the system's success.
They said an export could use multiple E-forms of a single bank but aimed at shipping the consignment to a single destination. They said Customs had halted no shipments due to banks closures on Saturdays, adding the Customs Appraiser's acknowledgement was only needed to clear the cargo in such a situation.
They were of the view while answering a complaint by an exporter that some time a certain terminal had problems to clear the cargo but consignors were blaming Customs for that fault. They also through an internet inquiry showed that which organisation was responsible for delay of the shipment. They asked the exporter to attach all documents needed for filing rebate claims and in simple PDF format for clarity and fast dispatching purposes. They observed that other formats, which consignors sent were slow in reaching the Customs through internet and unclear in visibility to be read. They said an assessment hall is being established at Qasim International Container Terminal (QICT) to facilitate the exporters. They also informed the exporters that the Customs would soon start text messages service sending the consignors their shipment status at the port.