Customs EDI to cover more ports

Customs EDI to cover more ports

JAKARTA (JP): The Directorate General of Customs and Excise
will apply the Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) system to
document processing at three main ports -- Tanjung Perak (East
Java), Semarang (Central Java) and Belawan (North Sumatra), a
senior official said.

The directorate general's information and data center director
Eddy Abdulrachman said here yesterday that the customs office
would install the system in Tanjung Perak in the middle of this
month.

"After two months we'll apply the system in Semarang and then
in Belawan," he said.

He said the customs office would gradually apply the system in
all Indonesian ports, but he did not elaborate.

He said Tanjung Perak port was vital for the economic growth
of the eastern part of Indonesia. Many imported goods enter
Indonesia through the port.

He said every year about 100,000 import documents were
processed at Tanjung Perak -- the second largest port after
Tanjung Priok, where about 500,000 documents were processed
annually.

The customs office introduced the EDI system at Tanjung Priok
in April but the system is not expected to operate fully until
2000.

Most parties involved in the clearance of imports through the
port such as importers, freight forwarders, shipping companies,
foreign exchange banks and tax offices have yet to be connected
to the EDI system.

Edi said the customs office would gradually require all
importers to use the EDI system. (bnt)