The Normandy channel ports, Le Havre for HAROPA and Caen-Ouistreham, Cherbourg and Dieppe for Ports of Normandy, will cooperate to boost the readiness of supply chain actors as the Brexit deadline, 1 January, draws near.
HAROPA and Ports of Normandy have already completed the work to ensure customs checks can be carried out whilst keeping traffic flowing as smoothly as possible.
The border crossing process will rely on the smart border system, which is designed to keep port traffic moving in spite of the tighter controls due to Brexit.
“Under this system, only goods that have been pre-declared or have a customs transit document can board the ferry, and lorries are channelled as soon as they disembark according to customs, veterinary and/or the phytosanitary status of the goods they are carrying,” explained the ports in a joint announcement.
The different trial runs have confirmed that the entire process is operational from pairing at the port of embarkation to inspection of the goods, if required.
All the equipment, including information systems, port layouts and flows, on-board information and co-ordination between all the actors, have been tested, while every action that needs to be carried out by every agent has been tried and tested, according to a statement.
“The results of these trials have been satisfactory and we can be confident that everything will go off without a hitch on 1 January 2021,” pointed out the ports.
The success of this system relies on everyone involved planning their crossing ahead of time and synchronising their actions, according to the announcement.
That is why HAROPA and Ports of Normandy have decided to join forces and create a set of practical fact sheets summarising key information for different situations: “I am a transport operator – what do I have to do?” /”My status is Orange – what do I have to do? /”I export or import veterinary or phytosanitary products” etc.
These fact sheets can be downloaded from HAROPA and Ports of Normandy websites as well as those of the latter’s delegates.
At the same time, transport operators, shippers, importers and customs representatives can contact Ports of Normandy or HAROPA for further explanations. Additionally, information sessions will be organised, with the participation of the port operator, the ferry company, customs, the DRAAF (regional food, agriculture and forestry directorate).
