Maritime Authority of Jamaica to Implement MSW

The Maritime Authority of Jamaica, in conjunction with the Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ), is taking proactive steps towards the implementation of a Maritime Single Window (MSW).

This is to streamline procedures to clear the arrival, stay and departure of ships when they call at Jamaica’s ports.

The disclosure was made by Director General of the Maritime Authority of Jamaica, Bertrand Smith, at a JIS Think Tank, held at the agency’s headquarters in Kingston on Friday (September 13).

The Director General explained that Jamaica is taking steps towards becoming a party to the Convention on the Facilitation of Maritime Traffic 1965 (FAL Convention), and that the digitalisation of this process, using a centralised digital platform for the electronic clearance of ships, is a requirement under this Convention.

“With the Maritime Single Window, we can electronically clear ships, which must go through a number of clearance processes with entities, such as the PAJ, Jamaica Customs Agency, the Ministry of Health and others before they can come to a berth,” Mr. Smith said.

The Director General further pointed out that the benefits to the MSW are twofold, as the system will not only improve efficiency but also reduce emissions.

“We want to remove the current paper-based system to go to an electronic system, which will allow for faster turnaround times, which will lead to a reduction in emissions, because the waiting time for ships to be cleared and get to a berth will be significantly reduced,” Mr. Smith said.

Since January 1, 2024, International Maritime Organization (IMO) Member States that are party to the FAL Convention are required to use a single centralised digital platform or MSW to collect and exchange information with ships when they call at a port.