Processing the commercial release

In this knowledge article we explain how you can submit a commercial release via various bulk actions for repetitive actions. Like registering (regular, occuring) partners, per B/L, in bulk via Excel uploads or Cargo Controller API. You can only apply this article if you have received a commercial release.

Passing on releases

Passing on an releases differs for the role of the chain party that you are going to manage. We have elaborated on the standard action per container in this article.

Processing releases in bulk

The above are simple actions if you have a limited volume of commercial releases to process. Within the Cargo Controller service there are several options to perform this in bulk, manually, semi-automatically or fully automated.

1. Nominate via multi select
   Select a whole B/L by checking the checkbox for the B/L number. You can do this directly with multiple B/Ls.
   
2. Nominate via multi select and filters
   The fastest way is to use the Quickview 'My Cargo' in combination with the filter 'Inland Operator' on the value 'Not nominated'. You can use additional filters to determine a range. Then check whether all B/Ls that you see in the overview screen are correct and click the checkbox next to the search field. This will select all containers that have not yet been nominated and that fall within your criteria in one go. Then click on 'Nominate Inland Operator' at the top of the screen. Go through the step-by-step plan and you will work on this action in bulk.
   
3. Trusted Cargo Director
   Register your regular forwarder as a chain partner, we call this a 'trusted cargo director'. If the chain partner tracks the same B/L before you receive the commercial release, your partner will immediately be given the role of Cargo Director and can nominate his Inland Operator. Read further on in the article how you can set this up and apply it.
4. Excel up- and download
   Within Cargo Controller it is possible to download all data that you see in the overview screen. In addition, there is also an option to upload up to 500 lines of data. In addition to tracking B/Ls in bulk in this way, you can also nominate and assign in bulk. Read here how you can apply this.
5. Cargo Controller API
   Upon receipt of the commercial release, another party can be appointed as Cargo Director or a carrier can be nominated. Read all about it on our Developer portal of Cargo Controller API. Especially read the 'use cases Secure Chain'.

Registering Trusted Cargo Directors

This can only be set by Power Users and User Administrators.

1. Log in to Cargo Controller, go to user menu > Manage data authorisations.
   
2. Go to the tab 'Trusted Cargo Directors' and here you can register your logistics partners. You can add multiple parties. They will not receive confirmation of this registration.It only works for the B/Ls that you both track in advance and after which your organization receives the release.

Tip: Use this option for a limited number of organizations as this can cause confusion if too many organizations can claim these automatic rights. If multiple automatically authorized parties track the same B/L this becomes an undesirable situation, which can be poorly monitored by you. We advise to use this option very limited and to actively manage it. You can delete parties using the 'Delete' button.

Registering Trusted Inland Operators

This can only be set by Power Users and User Administrators.

Follow the steps above, but in step 2 go to the tab 'Trusted Inland Operators'. At the moment that NO Inland Operators are registered here, every employee of your organization can search for and use a Inland Operator themselves. From the moment that 1 Inland Operators is registered here, all employees of your organization will only be able to choose this Operator. You can register as many Inland Operators as you like.

In this knowledge article, we explain how to pass on a commercial release in a simple manner. We explain the bulk processing of this action further here. You can only apply this article if you have received a commercial release.

Passing on releases

Passing on an releases differs for the role of the chain party that you are going to manage.

Option 1: Are you passing on the release to your inland operator? Then you nominate the inland operator.

Option 2: Are you passing on the exemption to another forwarder? Then you appoint this party as the next Cargo Director. In some cases, this concerns a 'Tranfser' of cargo upon arrival at the terminal.

Nominate Inland Operator

1. Click on the Secure Chain status of your container. You will then see your role and your rights, based on that Cargo Controller shows you which actions you are allowed to do.
2. Click on Nominate Inland Operator. A new screen will open.
3. Enter the organization name of your inland operator and it will be displayed in alphabetical order. If the name appears in multiple versions, you can use the location and/or the unique EAN number of your inland operator as additional recognition. This list shows all carriers registered with PCS, you can reduce this list by activating 'Trusted Inland Operators', this function concerns a so-called 'white list' that limits the choice options to that list. Read more about this later in this article.
4. Click on 'Nominate Inland Operator'. In the screen overview the status of the Secure Chain is now updated and shows a green color.

Assign Cargo Director

1. Click on the Secure Chain status of your container. You will then see your role and your rights, based on that Cargo Controller shows you which actions you are allowed to do.
   
2. Click on 'Assign someone else as director'. A new screen will open.
3. Type in the organization name of the forwarder and it will be shown in alphabetical order. If the name appears in multiple versions, you can use the location and/or the unique CoC number of the forwarder as additional recognition.
4. Click on 'Assign'. In the screen overview the status of the Secure Chain is now updated and shows a green color.

You have are now able to nominate and assign other parties within the Secure Chain.

The options within Cargo Release Manager are limited. The Secure Chain supports working ahead while the commercial release is not yet available. However, some additional features have not been made available within the Cargo Release Manager service as it is offered free of charge.

That in itself is not a problem, but it is good that you know what the consequences are and what options there are that you may want to use to work more effectively:

Cargo Release Manager:

When you have the role of Release-to Party, you are reactive to the commercial release and therefore slower than you can work ahead in Cargo Controller.
Tip: Registering a Trusted Cargo Director can help you with this, provided your forwarder uses Cargo Controller.

Cargo Controller gratis?

In Cargo Controller you have full insight into the B/L if a B/L is tracked prior to the commercial release, but this will be offset by transaction costs. However, an intermediate step is also possible: In Cargo Controller you can choose not to view additional cargo information, still work reactively to the commercial release, but automate the Trust Chain actions via API without transaction costs. This doesn't change the above scheme except that it no longer requires manual actions from your users.

For more information, read here how this works and contact our Sales department for the possibilities.

Yes, you can register a fixed list of carriers within Cargo Controller and Cargo Release Manager. This can only be set by a main and/or user administrator and has operational consequences for your users.

You cannot automatically nominate inland operators, as this would impact the operational process to much when a scenario occurs that a different inland operators needs to be

Register trusted parties

You can add your logistics partner(s) to your organization as 'Trusted Inland Operators'.

1. Log in Cargo Controller or Cargo Release Manager, go to user menu > Manage data access.
   
2. You are in Commercial Release. Choose the 'Trusted Inland Operators' tab and here you can select your logistics partners. You can add multiple parties.

Activation: From the moment you register 1 inland operator here, the option to nominate another inland operator is excluded. This list of inland operators must immediately be made as complete as possible. Deviations can then only be updated by main and/or user administrators.

You still have to nominate these parties per container.

Yes that is possible. If you use a system interface (Cargo Controller API), the following is also relevant to you.

Supply chain partners can even authorize you for a container while you do not yet track the B/L and container yourself. In this case, you are not immediately informed if an unknown B/L is linked to your organization via the commercial release. With this notification you will be notified immediately.

1. Open the user details via the round button with your initial, at the top right of the main screen.
2. Choose ‘Notification settings’.
   
3. Look for the email notification (near the bottom) titled 'Cargo director assigned'.
4. Via the slider you can switch an e-mail notification on or off.
5. E-mail notifications are sent to the e-mail address of your PCS account.
   

From now on you will receive an e-mail notification if you are assigned as an Cargo director, or as an Transport director.

Yes that is possible. If you use a system interface (Cargo Controller API), the following is also relevant to you.

Carriers can even send you a commercial release for a container while you do not yet track the B/L and container yourself. In this case, you are not immediately informed if an unknown B/L is linked to your organization via the commercial release. With this notification you will be notified immediately.

1. Open the user details via the round button with your initial, at the top right of the main screen.
2. Choose ‘Notification settings’.
   
3. Look for the email notification (near the bottom) titled 'Commercial release notification'.
4. Via the slider you can switch an e-mail notification on or off.
5. E-mail notifications are sent to the e-mail address of your PCS account.
   

From now on you will receive an e-mail notification if you are designated as a release-to party.

Yes, you can track the container(s) in HCN well before the ship's ETA. You can then also inform the subcontractor by linking them to your shipment. The chain will not become active until the commercial release is issued.

The prenotification can also be made before the commercial release, but there is an exception for ECT's terminal, because it cannot process updates.

Select the container(s) you want to assign to another haulier by checking the box to the left of the container line. The Forward button then appears at the bottom of the page. By clicking on it, you can choose which organisation you want to prenotify and transport the selected container(s).

Important! You can select multiple containers at once, but you can only nominate one haulier per forward.

If your haulier is not known in HCN, you cannot select them to nominate them for the Inland operator role. The haulier must first register with Portbase and then choose (one of) the services HCN Road, Rail or Barge. This is how you step into the Portbase Secure Chain.

Should this block further processing of the current container, you have two options:

• Use another haulier that is known to Portbase, or
• the PIN code will be shared with your customer by the shipping company in the usual way.

Important! At most terminals, prenotification by your haulier is mandatory. In time, the option of collecting a container with a PIN code will be withdrawn due to its susceptibility to fraud.

Yes; in this phase, the Portbase Secure Chain is only concerned with collecting containers without a PIN code. Other information required for transport must be shared with the haulier outside the PCS. When downloading container information, you can see what information is available within the PCS and HCN.

When you receive the exemption from the shipping company, you should normally immediately gain insight into the B/L and B/L data. There should be a maximum delay of one hour between the moment of exemption and making it available within our services. Does it take longer than an hour? Then go through these steps before you consult customer service. These steps are listed in order of the most common causes of reported issues at the Customer Service:

1. Correct B/L number: If you already followed the B/L for the release in Cargo Controller, you will receive an update designating you as the 'Release-to party'. Check that you are following the correct B/L number. A release is only given on a B/L that is known via the import manifest, therefor the B/L cannot have the status 'This B/L is not (yet) available'.
   
2. Active filters: A common mistake is if you accidentally have a filter active so that you cannot find the B/L. Check your filters, deactivate them with the 'Clear filters' button and search for your B/L again.
   
3. PCS release: In Cargo Release Manager you can only track cargo from the moment of the release is issued. Be the first to check whether the carrier has sent you a commercial exemption outside PCS. Carriers use the term 'PCS release' or 'release without PIN' for this. If necessary, contact your carrier directly.
   If the carrier has sent the commercial release via PCS and you are the actual 'release-to-party', then you can contact Customer Service. There may be a disturbance or a filter active that causes you to miss the B/L.

If you have gone through the steps above and the result is not changed, please contact our Customer Service and we will help you further.

Both.

Authorize or nominate per container

You can easily authorize another logistics partner per container for the role of 'Cargo director' or nominate a carrier for the role of 'Carrier. Select the -button behind the relevant container and click on 'Transfer cargo director' or 'Nominate inland operator'. You can now select your partner and transfer only this container to your logistics partner.

Please note that you can only transfer the role of 'Cargo director' after you have received the exemption from the shipping company.

Authorize or nominate per B/L

You can nominate or authorize all containers per B/L to a inland operator in one action. Select the -button behind the relevant B/L and click on 'Transfer cargo director' or 'Nominate inland operator'. You can now select your partner and transfer only this container to your logistics partner.

Nominate per B/L

You can nominate all containers per B/L to a inland operator in one action. Select the B/L by checking it and at the top you will now see the button 'Nominate inland operator'.

With the current state of the Portbase Secure Chain we might update this process later based upon feedback from the community. We will inform all users via email and the news updates in the service.

After you have chosen the option 'Transfer cargo director' you will see a pop-up screen. If you start typing the company name of your logistics partner, it would automatically be completed with all organizations known to Portbase.

If your logistics partner is not known in Cargo Controller or Cargo Release Manager, you cannot select it for the role Cargo director, or Transport director. Your logistics partner must first register with Portbase and make a choice between Cargo Controller or Cargo Release Manager before you can continue with the Chain of Trust. Should this block your current cargo from further processing, you have two choices:

• Use another logistics provider that is known to Portbase or
• ask the shipping company not to release these B/Ls via the PCS but by sending a PIN code to you and your logistics partner by e-mail.

Important! In time, the option of unloading a container using a PIN code will be withdrawn due to its susceptibility to fraud.

After you have chosen the option 'Nominate inland operator' you will see a pop-up screen. If you start typing the company name of your inland operator, it would automatically be completed with all organizations known to Portbase.

If your inland operator is not known in the service Hinterland Container Notification (HCN), you cannot select it for the role inland operator. Your inland operator must first register with Portbase and before you can continue with the Chain of Trust.

Should this block your current cargo from further processing, you have two choices:

• Use another inland operator that is known to Portbase or
• ask the shipping company not to release these B/Ls via the PCS but by sending a PIN code to you and your haulier by e-mail.

Important! At most terminals, pre-notification by your inland operator is mandatory and in time, the option of unloading a container using a PIN code will be withdrawn. This is due to its susceptibility to fraud.

Yes, you can add your logistics partner(s) to your organisation as 'authorised cargo director(s)'. You need to be a main user or a user manager of your IAM organisation to access these functionalities.

Assigning roles

Using the explanation below, you can register regular forwarders and thus partly automate the authorization to these trusted parties. This option applies to chains where you as an organization have the role of 'Release-to Party' and your chain partner will assign the role of Cargo Director.

Please note: If you also want to limit the choice of Inland Operators to your regular, trusted group of operators, read here how you can set this up.

Register trusted partners

1. Log in to Cargo Controller, or Cargo Release Manager, and go to user menu > Manage data authorisations.
   
2. You are in Commercial Release tab. Select the 'Trusted Cargo Director' tab; here you can select your logistics partners. You can add multiple parties.

Activation: If your partner tracks the same B/L in Cargo Controller, it will automatically be linked as 'Cargo director' due to this registration. Here is a schematic representation of how this can work for you in practice:

Tip: Use this option for a limited number of organizations, as it may cause confusion if too many organizations are able to claim these automatic permissions. If multiple automatically authorized parties are tracking the same B/L, that will cause an undesirable situation that will be difficult for you to monitor. We recommend using this option very sparingly and actively managing it. You can delete parties using the 'Delete' button.

No, this function is not available in the current phase.

We are currently investigating how this can work functionally, we would like to get in touch with you if you have more information about this process. Contact Customer Service and they will put you in touch with one of our colleagues.

Cargo Controller: Yes, you can track the B/L and container(s) in Cargo Controller long before the ship's ETA. But you can only manage the chain by authorizing or nominating a party after the Import manifest is known.

However, the chain will only become active once the commercial release has been granted. Only then can the pre-notification be made at the terminal. Everyone in the chain can receive an update when the commercial release is released.

Cargo Release Manager: No, within Cargo Release Manager you can only access the B/L after the commercial release is issued and then manage the chain.

NB! If the commercial release never follows because another party receives the commercial release or changes the B/L number (due to division), this entire chain will become redundant. You can then delete the B/L data, you can read more about that here.

Yes; in this phase, the Portbase Secure Chain is only concerned with unloading containers without a PIN code. An authorisation or nomination is not yet a legal contract. You still need to bilaterally transfer your underlying agreement to each other.

The options within Cargo Release Manager are limited. The Secure Chain supports working ahead while the commercial release is not yet available. However, some additional features have not been made available within the Cargo Release Manager service as it is offered free of charge.

That in itself is not a problem, but it is good that you know what the consequences are and what options there are that you may want to use to work more effectively:

Cargo Release Manager:

When you have the role of Release-to Party, you are reactive to the commercial release and therefore slower than you can work ahead in Cargo Controller.
Tip: Registering a Trusted Cargo Director can help you with this, provided your forwarder uses Cargo Controller.

Cargo Controller gratis?

In Cargo Controller you have full insight into the B/L if a B/L is tracked prior to the commercial release, but this will be offset by transaction costs. However, an intermediate step is also possible: In Cargo Controller you can choose not to view additional cargo information, still work reactively to the commercial release, but automate the Trust Chain actions via API without transaction costs. This doesn't change the above scheme except that it no longer requires manual actions from your users.

For more information, read here how this works and contact our Sales department for the possibilities.