Lighthouse Agencies Pty Ltd

I hope you find our site informative and useful. There are a variety of links to web sites related to our area of commerce, under "BUSINESS LINKS". This list is by no means comprehensive - our aim is to incorporate links to the main sites that our clients and other visitors to this site might find helpful. The new link "Resources & Documents" will take you to a page where documents or other resources our clients may find useful, such as sample AQIS packing declarations. We are happy to consider linking requests from service providers and suppliers of information services to the Customs and freight forwarding industries. Please contact the Webmaster for further information.

If you have an enquiry about importing to, or exporting from, Australia, please contact us. We provide a wide range of import and export related services, and can provide assistance starting from your initial planning stages through to delivery of the goods on arrival.

NEW (4 August, 2011)

PORT BOTANY LANDSIDE IMPROVEMENT STRATEGY UPDATE

The following information has been provided by the Customs Brokers and Forwarders Council of Australia:

Representatives from the Customs Brokers and Forwarders Council of Australia Inc. (CBFCA) attended a Port Botany Landside Improvement Strategy (PBLIS) Road Taskforce meeting on 21 July, 2011. The CBFCA noted improvements in operational performance since PBLIS implementation on 28 February, 2011, which appeared to be in line with data presented by the Sydney Ports Corporation (SPC).

SPC will soon be making adjustments to the PBLIS Mandatory Standards to further refine operational arrangements. Details of these changes and an overall progress report will be provided to members in the near future in the form of a formal SPC PBLIS Newsletter. In the interim, the following information may be of interest as a summary of the main issues emerging from the most recent meeting:

Truck Tracking System

SPC have completed installation of a sophisticated Truck Tracking System. Upon implementation, it will be used to measure Truck Turnaround Times (TTT) from when trucks join any queue (rather than a stevedore measurement from the terminal gate) as well as port departure and waiting times. 280 carriers are registered with a total of 2113 tags fitted to vehicles. Testing is currently taking place and will be ready for a go live by September 2011. Actual implementation will be delayed until early 2012 to coincide with the introduction of other PBLIS regulations.

Operational Performance System

The CBFCA provided feedback that the compliance verification is excessive for members and transport operators in reconciling stevedore invoices against operational data. SPC and stevedores claimed that through close collaboration, invoicing accuracy is continually improving. SPC will soon be releasing a "user friendly" web based reporting tool which will give all registered stakeholders real time access to information to assist in checking invoice accuracy.

Truck Marshalling Area

As outlined in NSWNF 2011/070, SPC have identified a site for a Truck Marshalling area (TMA) at 15 Bumborah Point Road (adjacent to the CEF). SPC anticipate that construction will commence in October 2011 and will be operational in early 2012. Upon implementation, PBLIS "early arrival" penalties will commence to deter truck arrival at the stevedore gate prior to commencement of the booked time zone. Trucks will be permitted to wait at the TMA up to one hour before their allocated zone. Further flexibility will be offered to country carriers in the use of the TMA.

Unforeseen events

Criteria for stevedores declaring an "Unforeseen Event", particularly as it relates to IT outages, will be tightened with a revision to the PBLIS Mandatory Standards. At the request of the CBFCA, SPC will maintain real time details of all "reviewed" and "pending review" unforeseen events on their web site. Operational arrangements and associated definitions will also be a focus in dealing with trucks in the terminal during a time of an Unforeseen Event.

Fun Stuff

The links under "IRC" are provided for entertainment purposes. IRC (Internet Relay Chat) is a real-time live multi-user messaging service, superior in concept to the plethora of instant messenger (IM) and webchat services that have proliferated across the internet. Whereas IM's are primarily one-on-one chat services, IRC is a facility where a group can gather in the one place, from anywhere in the world at any time of the day or night, to discuss issues and share information. Moreover, a properly run IRC service is a safer environment for youngsters to be chatting, as the chat rooms are monitored by real people, unlike IM's and many webchats where there is NO monitoring or control. If you're a parent I'm sure you will appreciate the added safety net such monitoring provides to protect the unwary from the nefarious activities of "internet predators" (e.g., paedophiles, identifty thieves, etc). If you would like more information, click on the "Chat Now" link and once connected, ask to speak to one of the network administrators.

The "OTHER LINKS" section provides links to other web sites that might be of interest to you. Please feel free to browse. Again, we are happy to consider requests to add links to other web sites. As noted above, please contact the Webmaster for further information.