Cat Lai Port ensuring smooth goods clearance amid pandemic

Covid-19 has had an enormous impact on Vietnam’s import and export activities, causing congestion at many ports, including Cat Lai - the largest and most modern container port in the country. The Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department has introduced a number of measures to ensure smooth operations and goods clearance at ports.

This is a quick response team for customs clearance, established in early August by the Saigon Port Customs Branch - Area 1 under the Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department.

Through a hotline, the team receives information and answers questions from businesses about procedures so that goods can be cleared quickly.

Amid Covid-19, Ho Chi Minh City and 19 other southern cities and provinces have been implementing social distancing measures under the Prime Minister’s Directive No 16, meaning that goods at Cat Lai Port - the largest and most modern container port in the country - have been processed slowly.

To ensure smooth operations at the port, the Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department has implemented several measures to speed up goods clearance, introduced quick response teams, on-the-spot teams, and consulting groups, and encouraged online declarations.

As of the end of August, Cat Lai was handling nearly 1,000 customs declarations each day.

Ensuring quick customs clearance at Cat Lai Port helps to limit goods congestion, ensuring smooth import and export activities and facilitating production chains in Ho Chi Minh City and the southern region./.

VNA