Industry and government got together around the (virtual) table this morning (Friday 08 September 2023) to discuss an amazing project that potentially could improve productivity right across Australia: the Maritime Single Window.
The Maritime Single Window is a pretty simple idea – it means that all government agencies and authorities exchange and receive all necessary data via single point of contact.
Point of origin
Originating from the International Maritime Organization, the Maritime Single Window concept promises to mark a significant step-up in the digitalisation of international shipping.
The Maritime Single Window is now required under the International Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic, the IMO has decided that port-related authorities across the world, such as customs, police, immigration, and health and agricultural authorities, must be part of the port electronic data interchange system to ensure standard regulatory requirements – for example, cargo declaration, dangerous goods declaration, crew manifests, and vessel details – are fulfilled.
In a nutshell, this project is all about reducing manual data entry, reducing duplication, cutting time, cutting costs, and generally cutting paperwork (or these days, electronic paperwork!).
Scope to find efficiencies
There’s plenty of scope to find efficiencies – there are about 29 different government agencies in Australia that have a border-related role, and there are over 200 cross-border trade regulations, according to the Simplified Trade Taskforce (admittedly, not all of those will be maritime focused). And we know that there were over 17,600 international ship voyages into Australia in 2021 by about 6,000 unique ships. Each time a ship arrives or departs Australia, that kicks of the submission of 19 regulatory reports, causing each ship to spend (on average) two hours carrying out reporting when there are no issues and more than six hours when there are issues. That’s over 35,000 hours of paperwork a year, according to the Maritime Single Window team at the Department of Infrastructure.
“Collaboration with the World Customs Organization, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, the International Standards Organization and the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) ensures full alignment across the supply chain,” the IMO says.
Cut red tape, boost free trade
The IMO adds that countries with more efficient trade-facilitation infrastructure (and that includes the ability to do regulatory paperwork faster and at a lower cost) have better import and export figures. “There’s a clear link between reducing red tape and competitiveness. Efficient trade facilitation can help reduce transport costs and thereby contribute to sustainable development,” the IMO says.
This morning we discussed a wide range of issues relating to the Maritime Single Window including:
- Australia’s commitment to implement the IMO rules
- Preferences as to data submission methods
- Industry views on new maritime internet technologies
- Data submission and management technologies
- Challenges in the adoption of a maritime single window
- Benefits from the adoption of a maritime single window
- Dangerous goods
The workshop today was just the start of a two-way conversation between government and industry to scope out the project.
Shipping Australia is happy, and honoured, to take part in this vitally important project and to bring about the creation of Australia’s Maritime Single Window which has the promise of boosting trade efficiency and thereby boosting prosperity for all Australians, no matter how far away they live from the sea.
