How would you like to have your goods transported into the Netherlands and out of the port? Zero touch of course! We are happy to announce that we have fully automated the flows in CAS so you can now ship through Rotterdam via terminals RWG, APMTI & II, ECT Delta, ECT Euromax, and Uniport with almost no data needed. In the near future, this process will also be available for: The extended integration of CAS with Portbase—which communicates with AGS, the Dutch customs system—allows our customers to automate their declaration flow and share data with Portbase, stakeholders, customs authorities, and third parties along the logistics flow. Transferring goods via ports has never been so easy! What Changed? 
We extended the current integration of CAS with Portbase. In addition to the service Melding Export Documentatie (nr. 31), which was already supported in CAS, we have now integrated with:
- Ladinginformatie (nr.8)
- Melding Domproc (DIN/DEN) (nr.12) and
- Melding Import Documentatie (nr.16)
These three services are linked, since Melding Domproc cannot be used without a connection to the other two services.
What is Melding Domproc (DIN/DEN)?
Melding Domproc (DIN/DEN) is a message that is sent in order to notify both Portbase and customs authorities that you have the intention to put your goods into a bonded warehouse (DEN) or release them into free circulation (DIN). The biggest advantages of using Melding Domproc are:
- Goods can easily go out of the port, saving time
- The declaration only needs to be made afterwards, improving cashflow
- For DEN, no T1 document needs to be created in order to ship your goods from the port to your premises, so no guarantee is needed
Example Customs Flow Using Melding Domproc (DIN/DEN): It’s as Easy as 1-2-3!
- You file a DEN message for your goods
- Goods can then be shipped from Rotterdam to your warehouse
- At the moment of arrival in your warehouse, you submit an EIDR, which is your declaration
Full Integration with Portbase – What Goes on Behind the Scenes
CAS gets automatic notifications from Portbase on items, status updates, time of arrival, customs arrival, etc., and allows you to get these notifications in your system via our Notification API. Here are the steps going on behind the scenes:
- The shipping company creates an import manifest and submits it to Portbase
- You will receive an advanced shipping note (ASN) from the shipping company a few days before the ship will arrive in the port. At that moment, you know the bill of lading and the container numbers linked to it. This information will be entered into your ERP system.
- You send a message with the bill of lading, container number, and Domproc authorisation number to CAS – only very limited data is needed.
- CAS talks to the 1st service, Ladinginformatie, to link the bill of lading with the container number. This linking can only be done if the shipping agent has filed their import manifest to Portbase.
- As soon as the linking is done, CAS gets automatic updates on the vessel, including time of arrival, customs controls, item information, etc.
- At the moment of true arrival of the vessel at the terminal (“schip is aangemeerd”), a call reference number is deducted, which is needed to talk to the 2nd service, Melding Domproc (DIN/DEN).
- As soon as the Release message is retrieved, the 3rd service, Melding Import Documentatie, can be used. You need to have correct information from the 1st and 2nd services to be able to complete the message for the 3rd service.
- You get a message that the goods can be collected and transported to your warehouse.
While this process may sound complex, the only thing you need to do is provide a message with the bill of lading, container number, and Domproc authorisation number to CAS and you will be informed when the goods can be collected. CAS takes care of the rest.
Advantages of Full Portbase Integration
There are a number of advantages linked to the full integration with Portbase:
- Fully automated, as we aspire for CAS and all customs processes to be
- No manual interaction needed, unless errors are being retrieved
- Facilitation of processes and data that is closely linked to each other
- Efficient customs processes, allowing customs managers to focus on other aspects of their job that bring real added value to the company
“The Excel files, emails and rectifications from customs authorities that we are currently managing for dealing with this process will all disappear and be replaced by the automatic process, allowing us to save time and eliminate room for mistakes.” -CAS Customer
C4T sees automating these complex processes as the future of customs, like self-driving cars are the future of transportation.
We’re Not Just Pioneers, We’re Leading the Industry in Customs Compliance Technology
We have investigated the Portbase integrations that have been set up by other operators, and their solutions still require manual linking of the bill of lading and container number. Some operators have parts of the process automated, but no other solution offers end-to-end automation.
In contrast, CAS automates the full process, end-to-end, with zero-touch required. CAS also links the bill of lading and the container number. This is a first in the Portbase history and Portbase employees are congratulating us for this achievement, since we have been able to automate the entire process from beginning to end.
Want to see how it works?
