Chonburi – The Customs office at Laem Chabang port is applying an electronic system to better facilitate importers and exporters.
Laem Chabang Port Customs office chief Yuthana Poonpipat said the office was piloting the e-Customs system to allow exporters and importers to file documents and process requests in the electronic system.
From 1 March 2018, firms may file pre-arrival processing online for cargoes transported by ships 24 hours in advance, allowing them to submit necessary documents and make payments electronically. The office has also implemented the e-Import paperless document processing system to help speed up the procedures.
The facilities at ports have been upgraded to help with trade and processing flows, with x-ray machines and radiation meters installed. The x-ray machines are capable of scanning cargo trucks and trains.
Laem Chabang port is currently capable of processing 10.8 million shipping containers per year. The port handles 7.67 million containers in 2017 with 5 percent annual growth. The port is seeking to renovate its facilities to increase the capacity to 18.1 million containers per year to accommodate the export of 3 million vehicles per year.
The port was planned to handle rail shipments from 500,000 containers per year to two million tons in 2019.
