CONTAINER Transport Alliance Australia has welcomed changes to the export container vehicle booking process at Victoria International Container Terminal from Thursday 19 May.
“CTAA has been in direct discussions with the management of VICT to improve aspects of its Vehicle Booking System processes, which, in turn, enhance landside transport planning and vehicle utilisation efficiency and productivity,” said CTAA director Neil Chambers.
“CTAA alliance companies are pleased that the first changes will be implemented from Tuesday, 19 May 2020, removing the need for export containers to have a valid pre-receival advice (PRA) lodged with the terminal prior to an export delivery timeslot being obtained at VICT.”
Mr Chambers said the change realigned VICT with other international container stevedores in the Port of Melbourne, allowing transport operators to plan ahead.
“In many container export supply chains, the PRA is completed relatively late in the logistics process, when the container has been loaded and its verified gross mass determined,” he said.
“Not being able to book an export time slot at VICT before the PRA is completed has been an increasing concern for transport operators and their export customers as the volumes of trade have increased at the Webb Dock Terminal.”
Mr Chambers said exporters and their transport logistics providers now would be able to better plan ahead, increasing the opportunity for truck utilisation rates to be maximised, and the certainly of being able to secure export slot bookings before vessel cut-off dates.
“This is particularly critical for regional exporters and their transport operators who have hundreds of kilometres to travel to/from the Port of Melbourne to meet vessel export cut-off timeframes, and for their trucks to complete other work while in Melbourne, including full import or empty export container backloads,” he said.
Mr Chambers said the CTAA was continuing to discuss other vital changes to VBS processes at VICT relating to import containers.
“We are confident that the spirit of cooperation displayed by the revitalised management team at VICT under new CEO Tim Vancampen on export booking processes will be applied to the landside sector’s concerns on import slot bookings and container availabilities,” he said.
