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How to Communicate Effectively with Stevedores?


After booking freight space on a vessel, what’s the next big thing an export should be worried about? One of the common answers is to ensure that the consignment arrives on time at the cargo terminal for loading. For this, it is important that there is sound communication between exporters and stevedores. Unfortunately, many exporters tend to ignore this small but significant aspect of hassle-free shipping.

So, is it indeed a humungous task to obtain cargo clearance from a terminal operator? What can possibly go wrong and how to avoid it from happening? Here’s a discussion to help you understand.

Importance of Pre-receival Advice

The exchange of messages between an exporter and a stevedore is called pre-receival advice (PRA). As soon as a consignment is ready for dispatch to the port, the exporter would send PRA to the stevedore, requesting cargo clearance. The PRA contains vital information about the consignment, including details about goods, containers, freight booking, and so on.

At the same time, the shipping company with which the exporter books freight space also sends details about the consignment to the stevedore. So, the stevedore compares both documents to ensure that there is no information mismatch.  Once he/she finds the whole information correct, the stevedore sends the cargo acceptance message to the exporter. It is then that the exporter transports the consignment to the terminal.

In case some error surfaces in the information shared, the stevedore sends the message to the exporter, requesting an explanation, rectification or additional information. Clearly, the effective communication of the PRA is important to:

  • Ensure that the consignment doesn’t miss the terminal slot
  • Avoid additional costs and penalties occurring due to delays or errors
  • Quickly react to any message from the stevedore
  • Track the PRA status in realtime
  • Most importantly, to prevent any shipping delays or losses

What Might Go Wrong?

Sending and receiving PRA seems to be a simple communication process with few chances of any slip-up. However, there are common issues that frequently hinder the process, often leading to unpleasant consequences. Here are some examples:

  • The exporter completely forgets to begin the process of sending PRA in the right time
  • The exporter’s documentation team might not come up with the required documents on time
  • Due to manual processing, there is a high probability of human errors occurring while compiling the PRA details
  • Also, the exporter might fail to provide additional information for storing special goods (like perishable items) during transit
  • Because of no arrangement for remote PRA tracking, the exporter might take time in responding to the queries from the stevedore

How to Make the Communication Infallible?

The Australia Government long ago replaced the traditional method of sending consignment details to stevedores with the electronic PRA. However, it is important that every exporter must invest in the best electronic systems to enjoy the intended benefits of going paperless. Here are some tips to help you in this direction:

  • Make it fully automated. The process should not involve any paper-based files and databases. Moreover, human intervention should be the minimum to reduce the possibility of errors.
  • Invest in a cloud-based solution and not a desktop-based one. Apart from adding speed to the process of sending PRA, it would also reduce the overall costs and make remote processing possible.
  • Choose a solution that allows bulk message sharing with every terminal operator in the region. If there are multiple containers in a consignment, make sure you send details about each in the same PRA.
  • Make sure there is no disparity in the information you share with the shipping company and with the stevedore. For instance, the container number should be the same in both documents.
  • Be attentive to any message you receive from the stevedore. Keep all important documents ready and make sure you have quick access to the databases that store all details about the consignment.

These small but significant steps and arrangements can bring a huge difference during this last stage of consignment shipping. Make it a habit to generate reports after every PRA submission to take note of any change required to improve the process.

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