The Customs and Excise Department (C&ED) today (December 11) held the Award Presentation Ceremony for the Sea Cargo Pre-shipment Declaration Scheme 2023 at the Customs Headquarters Building and presented award certificates to 47 sea cargo carriers in recognition of their active participation in the scheme and efforts to work with the C&ED to provide efficient and seamless cargo clearance services for the trade, contributing to the prosperity of maritime and port development.
In her speech at the ceremony, the Assistant Commissioner of Customs and Excise (Boundary and Ports), Ms Ida Ng, said that Hong Kong is one of the most important hub ports in the world. The support of the Central Government, coupled with the proactive policies taken forward by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government, further consolidates Hong Kong's status as an international maritime and logistics hub and helps Hong Kong to better integrate into the national development. The C&ED will continue to support the policies of the country and the HKSAR Government, and promote various trade facilitative measures, including the Hong Kong Authorized Economic Operator Programme, the Single E-Lock Scheme and the Free Trade Agreement Transhipment Facilitation Scheme, with the aim of improving customs clearance efficiency and speeding up the flow of cargoes.
Ms Ng also expressed special thanks to the sea cargo carriers for their active participation in the Sea Cargo Pre-shipment Declaration Scheme, which enabled C&ED officers to conduct more precise risk assessment, and for their assistance to the department in detecting a number of record-breaking sea smuggling cases this year.
Since 2009, the C&ED has been committed to implementing different sea cargo information submission schemes, including the EMAN Statement 1 Submission Scheme and the Advance Cargo Information - River Trade Vessel Scheme. These schemes allow carriers and cargo agents to submit advance cargo information to the C&ED prior to vessels' arrival, enabling the department to conduct risk assessment more effectively and expediting the cargo clearance processes.
Ends/Monday, December 11, 2023
