Customs Releases Study For Cargo Evacuation At Seaports

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has disclosed plans to launch Time Release Study (TRS), to enhance cargo evacuation at the nation’s seaports.

Speaking on the sideline of the 2024 International Customs Day (ICD), in Lagos, the Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, said TRS will be launched in February, 2024.

LEADERSHIP reports that TRS is a document aimed at optimising cargo clearance processes as well as reducing the time it takes for cargoes to be released, at the nation’s ports.

Adeniyi further stated that, all the agencies in the ports have been notified about the TRS to ensure accurate measurement of the time it takes to do business at Nigerian ports.

“Permit me to use this medium to announce a significant initiative that underscores our commitment to efficiency and transparency in trade facilitation. In February, 2024, we will be launching the TRS,” the Customs CG said.

He continued, “The TRS is a comprehensive exercise aimed at optimising our processes and reducing the time it takes for goods to be released. This study is a strategic move towards enhancing our operations, and I call upon the cooperation of all our partners, including the National Trade Facilitation Committee (NTFC), to actively participate in this endeavour. Your insights and collaboration will be invaluable as we work towards achieving seamless and timely trade processes that benefit us all.”

The Customs boss also disclosed that the service has started implementing the resolutions reached at the Customs CG conference.

“The Lagos Continental Declaration document was a product of exhaustive consultations with stakeholders. This document is presently undergoing implementation. Initial measures, including the resolution of multiple alerts, reduction of Customs checkpoints and improvement of officers conduct have been actively undertaken.

“Additional components of the declaration will be pursued with thoroughness and we anticipate completing due diligence by the end of the first quarter of this year. Our commitment to implementing these resolutions remains firm. Activities centred on stakeholders, as previously committed,will soon be fully operational, illustrating our dedication to concrete actions.

“In February 2024, the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) scheme implementation will reach advanced stages. This will be followed by the introduction of the Advanced Ruling(AR). Additionally, the establishment of a Customs laboratory will commence with a workshop scheduled in Gwagwalada next week. These initiatives represent concrete steps toward strengthening our relationships with stakeholders,”

Also speaking, the managing director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mohammed Bello-Koko, said the positioning of the Lekki Deep Seaport as a trans-shippment hub will also benefit greatly from the collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service.

He, however, disclosed that collaboration with Customs has led to noticeable reduction in cargo dwell time and ship waiting time at the ports.

“We are already recording gains from our renewed collaboration with the Nigerian Customs, which has led to noticeable  reduced cargo dwell time and ship waiting time which has already decongested the Ports.

“This collaboration also gives fillip to our commitment to the deployment of the Port Community System (PCS) which the NPA has propelled to the final phase of consultancy under the technical guidance of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

“The PCS is germane to promoting efficiency and making our ports competitive as it lays the groundwork for the National Single Window. Our commitment to positioning the Lekki Deep Seaport as trans-shippment hub to service the maritime needs of our landlocked neighbours will also benefit greatly from this collaboration.

“This alignment of vision between NPA and Nigerian Customs portends great fortune for trade facilitation and national prosperity. Maximising the opportunities inherent in our littoral assets as a maritime nation rests heavily on this collaboration.

“I, therefore, wish to commend and appreciate the CG and his team for this new direction and assure everyone of our unwavering commitment at NPA to this noble objective,” Bello-Koko stated