Port of Rotterdam Warns Shippers to Register This Month to Avoid Brexit Problems

NETHERLANDS – UK – As Europe's busiest port management at the Port of Rotterdam has expressed concern this week that the delay to Britain's exit from the European Union has made those who trade between or via the two countries a little too laid back when it comes to ensuring all is in place as regards exports and imports of freight when the outcome is finally known.

With the delay following agreement between the parties to extend Article 50 until no later than 31 October the Port points out that it is perfectly possible the UK may leave at any time before that if a withdrawal agreement is accepted. No deal remains a very real possibility and the Port wants the flow of cargo to be as uninterrupted as possible.

To this end digital procedures are in place in the event that companies affected that transport freight via Dutch ports to and from the United Kingdom require them. The processing of these formalities takes place automatically in Portbase, which prevents time-consuming manual checks. This digital border, however, only works if all companies in the chain take their responsibility and share the necessary data.

A crucial portion of this process is the digital pre-announcement of customs documents at terminals via Portbase. Without pre-announcing the customs documents, trucks will be denied entry to the terminals and will be turned away. This applies in every Brexit scenario: Deal and No Deal.

This is why the Port of Rotterdam Authority is continuing to ask companies to register in Portbase. Companies that have not yet registered should do this prior to 1 June 2019 to ensure that, in the event of a no-deal Brexit, they can use the digital border in the Dutch ports. As the Port points out arriving well prepared at the port is, after all, the responsibility of companies that import freight from or export freight to the UK.