North Sea Port New border control post fully operational

Photo courtesy of Tom D’haenens.

Containers full of goods enter and leave North Sea Port on a daily basis. Though this fow of goods seems like a naturally recurring pattern in any port, this is certainly not a given. Specifc goods must be properly controlled by a border control post. This border control needs a special license to be able to operate.

For specifc goods of animal origin for example, a license is required from the Dutch Food Safety Authority (NVWA) or the Federal Agency for Food Safety (FAVV) in Belgium. These licenses ensure local food safety control and serve as an extension of food safety control organised at European level. Everything that enters a port from third countries, that is to say non-European countries, has to be verifed in order to be allowed entry.

Until recently, North Sea Port had two border control posts, one at Kloosterboer in Vlissingen, with codes HC(2) and NHC-T(FR)(2), which means respectively they are licensed for human consumption goods, such as fsh and all frozen packaged non-human consumption goods (in a container). The other control post in Ghent was only licensed for HC-NT(6) and NHC-NT(6) which translates to mostly fats and oils and especially fsh oil in bulk. Everything else such as pork, animal skins, or gelatin for sweets was not allowed to enter North Sea Port’s Ghent port area. Until now, veterinary import checks on such products had to be carried out at ports such as Antwerp,

Rotterdam, Zeebrugge, and Calais. The goods would then be transported by road to Ghent. This is no longer necessary. As with a new control post, which was offcially opened on Wednesday 20 October by Vincent Van Pethegem (federal Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, and David Clarinval (federal Minister of Agriculture), Customs, and the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain can now also check packaged animal products from outside the European Union in Ghent.

At the new control post, containers can be inspected, samples examined in the laboratory, and administrative formalities can be handled. The more effcient service will result in a smoother fow of goods entering the port. This is therefore a win-win situation in terms of time and effciency for the supply chain and logistics players. The new border control post also helps accommodate the consequences of Brexit. In an interview with PortNews, North Sea Port Policy Offcer Stephanie Dierick explains, “We consider it our duty as a port authority to try to extend the permits so that we can assist our customers even better. In the Netherlands, these permits are often applied for by private companies. Kloosterboer, for example, applied for its permits with the cooperation of the Dutch NVWA. In Belgium, applications are often done by (semi) government bodies. For instance, by a port company like us. The Belgian advantage is that once permits are granted, they can be freely used for/by everyone.” The new control post location is situated in Ghent opposite the offce of North Sea Port and next to the new Customs offce. Ms Dierick elaborates, “This location was a former warehouse of ours that we have completely converted. The renovation is based on the specifc requirements that Europe sets for such establishments, as it remains within European legislation. We applied for our permits to include HC(FR/CH)(2) and NHC(FR/CH)(2), ensuring entry of human and non-human consumption goods in any frozen and chilled form.” The existing license for fsh oil has been placed at the large SeaTank terminal in Ghent and they, in turn, made a satellite GCP especially for bulk animal oils and fats, such as fsh oil. A second satellite GCP has also been launched at Katoen Natie and is an additional checkpoint for petfood in containers. These permits are now fully operational.

When it comes to the import of containerised goods from third countries, those quantities are limited, because deep-sea container ships do not often enter Ghent. Ms Dierick adds, “So we thought about how to justify our investment. The frst thing we did was to ask the Customs department in Ghent to move to the same location, so that it actually becomes a service location. Customs and FAVV, at the same location of the GCP, use the same dock shelter, so that they can check the customer goods together which saves time. We also have a special collaboration with Customs and FAVV for the shift of controls. This means that when (large) container ships arrive in the port of Antwerp, they have to be checked by Customs and FAVV in Antwerp, as checks must always take place at the frst place of entry. But if the containers are transported by barge from Antwerp to Ghent, all controls, both those of Custom and FAVV, can now be transferred to Ghent. This new arrangement ensures multiple benefts for North Sea Port. The customer also benefts signifcantly, as the port is a great congestion-free alternative. That aside, not all goods arriving in the port of Antwerp are intended for the immediate region. These products are also often intended for our hinterland. If these goods can be controlled closer to the fnal destination, that would be an added bonus too. Another beneft is that the border control post option only applies when transport takes place by barge. This is great news for North Sea Port because it will reduce pressure on our port area, because the containers must enter via the waterway network, which also is more sustainable. We have already added requests and expect to see these increase further. We will reap the benefts of these additional border control permits in the upcoming years.”

Photo courtesy of Jo De Rammelaere.

Photo courtesy of Tom D’haenens.