[ Port of Hamburg Starts Zapping ]

So containers can be transported even easier and faster through the Po
rt of Hamburg in future and all the tiresome paperwork involved in the
handling process can be abolished, port operators have been working o
n the Paperless Port Project since 1995. The initial trials(between qu
ay operators and shipping lines) have already been successfully comple
ted. Now another decisive step forward is about to be taken with the l
aunch of ZAPP(Customs Export Monitoring in a Paperless Port) on July 1
this year. From then on, all export relevant and shipping data will b
e transmitted by forwarders, liner agents or exporters to the Port of
Hamburg customs offices via ZAPP. At the same time, the original docum
ent, e.g. page 3 of the export papers for goods of EU origin, have to
be sent to Hamburg’s Main Free Port Customs Office. However, the arri
ve before goods can be shipped whereas up to the now, goods had to be
presented to customs officials before they could be taken on board shi
p. So ZAPP gives shippers a 100% loading guarantee.
Shippers who will be unable to transmit their data edectronically from
July 1 for technical or organizational reasons can still use ZAPP via
so-called manual data acquisition offices in the Port of Hamburg. Var
ious firms, the head office of the Association of Hamburg Forwarders a
nd a number of quay operators will be equipped to collect data and tra
nsmit them to the ZAPP computer-for a specific handling fee.
ZAPP is a joint venture developed by forwarders, quay operators and li
ner agents/shipping lines in the Port of Hamburg on the one hand and H
amburg’s Economics Ministry on the other. The two sides commissioned
DAKOSY with the development of the ZAPP system in May 1996 and agreed
to share development costs. As from July 1 the operating costs will be
charged to ZAPP users.
The basic procedure for ZAPPing export goods in the Port of Hamburg is
as follow: unless one of the manual data-acquisition offices is used,
the exporter, forwarder or liner agent transmits his export data to t
he ZAPP computer at the DAKOSY compter centre where the data are check
ed. If the information contained in the application seems plausible, t
he computer sends back a so-called B Number(customs handling number).
This number is also sent to the quay operator who will load the goods
and the liner agent/shipping line involved. The Main Free Port Customs
Office now has the chance to check whether the data are “clean” and
, if necessary, order a customs examination.
The ZAPP computer words round the clock so that data can be transmitte
d at any time. However, the original documents must be handed in to th
e Main Free Port Customs Office within a reasonable period of time of
the data being input. The Main Free Customs Office requires data to be
transmitted via ZAPP at least two hours before the goods are loaded.
The prerequisits for successful ZAPPing is that all the data relevant
to customs clearance are entered into the system. Hamburg’s quay oper
ators have committed themselves to only loading goods if they have rec
eived a B number. In other words, ZAPP notification is an absolute pre
condition of shipping because only the ZAPP computer can issue B numbe
rs. Data cannot be transmitted direct to the Main Free Port Customs Of
fice because it is not linked to the ZAPP computer and so cannot issue
B numbers.