Vessel Notification

The 'List of ports' and 'Crew members' sections do not have to be filled in for Rotterdam and Amsterdam, unless there are sick or dead persons on board.

Due to the GDPR legislation, we are obliged to automatically delete personal data from the PCS immediately after uploading and sending. The harbourmaster's system does not record personal data, only the fact that there are special circumstances regarding the health situation on board.

A new feature is functional feedback from the harbourmaster (right-hand blue icon: ‘Pending’). The other icons (green tick) are technical feedback items indicating that the notification has arrived in the harbourmaster's system but they say nothing about its content. All functional feedback is currently sent from the harbourmaster’s system to the agent via e-mail, the so-called ‘Clearance mail’. ‘Health’ is the first task to be displayed in PCS in this way. In time, we want to extend this solution to the other tasks. This will replace e-mails from the harbourmaster.

Fortunately, there are no health problems on the vast majority of ships. The staff of the HCC/HOC currently assess all MDoHs manually. We can now automate this work so that we only assess those MDoHs where there is a problem. If nothing is wrong, the agent gets almost immediate functional feedback (green tick on the right-hand side) that everything is in order. • If there are any special circumstances, the icon turns orange and the municipal health service is informed. • If the MDoH is not in order, the icon turns red. In this case, the captain will probably have to send a new one so that the agent can submit it to the harbourmaster again. • If there any special circumstances or if the MDoH is not in order, you will see a notification on the screen. You can also subscribe to notifications such as an e-mail and/or text message from the PCS in 'Preferences'.

If there are any special circumstances, the municipal health service will be informed. The municipal health service will contact the agent and/or the captain if action is required. Who the municipal health service contacts depends on what the issue is.

It is sufficient for the captain to certify that he/she has completed the form truthfully. A digital signature is not required, but if one is used, it is not a problem. However, we validate based on the Yes/No answer to "I declare that the particulars and answers to the questions are true and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief". You can find more information on how to complete the form under the ‘General’ tab.

Like the other upload forms, the form is generated in Excel and is very similar to the familiar MDoH form you currently have to complete (sometimes still on paper). The basic principle is that the captain can use this new form both digitally and in paper form in other ports, so that he/she does not have to keep two different forms up to date. It can be printed out, signed, stamped and handed in as usual, or scanned and e-mailed. For Amsterdam, Rotterdam and elsewhere, it no longer needs to be signed, stamped and scanned. Sending it to the agent by e-mail is sufficient.

Sending the MDoH is permitted between 24 hours and 6 hours before arrival at the chosen Pilot Boarding Place (PBP). Outside this time slot, you will receive a warning. In exceptional cases, it is possible to send an MDoH outside this time slot. If there is no good reason, you run the risk that the harbourmaster will not accept the MDoH.

• Less standard phone calls with HCC/HOC
• No discrepancies between the requested order by phone and the registration by HCC/HOC
• Better overview of the orders
• Everyone can see which movements are ordered

The status overview in PCS serves as the primary state of the order. When a different time gets confirmed the HCC/HOC will call you. Because of this feature we strive to keep the number of e-mails to a minimum. We will reexamine the need for email notifications during the evaluation with agents and services providers.
In Amsterdam e-mail notifications will continue to be sent.

We recommend adding the facilities to the previous ports in the security information. This ensures that the security information is correctly passed on to the Port Authority.
Make sure to specify the actual facility. If you really do not know this information, you may enter UNKNOWN.

The order should be changed in PCS. When additional services are ordered the order period will be reapplied. If the order needs to be amended within the initial period you will have to call the HCC/HOC to explore the options.

The order is received by PA and the nautical service providers Scheduling the order is in progress.

The order is confirmed by PA and the nautical service providers.

The order is confirmed by PA and the nautical services providers. However, the ETD has been changed by PA and nautical service providers.

• Pilot and/or tugs required: as soon as possible but at the latest between 2 and 1,5 hours before ETD
• Boatmen required: as soon as possible but at the latest between 30 and 15 minutes before ETD
• No services required: as soon as possible but at the latest 15 and 0 minutes before ETD

• Port of Rotterdam:
  Alblasserdam, Gorinchem, ’s Gravendeel, Hardinxveld-Giessendam, Krimpen aan den IJssel, Middelharnis, Nijmegen, Ridderkerk, Sliedrecht and Stellendam.
• Groningen Seaports:
  Lauwersoog
• Port of Harlingen:
  Leeuwarden and West-Terschelling
• Provincie Groningen:
  Foxhol, Groningen-stad, Scheemda, Veendam and Waterhuizen
• Local authority (gemeente):
  Bergen op Zoom, Kampen, Maasbracht, Maastricht, Roermond, Urk, Venlo, Werkendam

You have to select this port as port of call.

You have to create a visit for Rotterdam and choose a berth for one of the ports above. This is the current way of working.

An order from the nautical service providers, for example, is processed per berth at the Port Authority. For each berth, you specify the items that need to be ordered and next you click on ‘Order movement’. The order will then be placed with the Port Authority. The Port Authority will have to approve or reject the order. Until that time, the order will continue to display the airplane icon in Portbase.
Note: do make sure to use the 2-hour period for ordering. When an order remains stuck, the agent will have to contact the Port Authority to have the order fixed.

Not being able to report cargo in the service Cargo Declaration Import means that the manifest is not available. This may have several causes:

• The agent wishing to report cargo has not been registered as a cargo handling agent. This is mandatory if cargo needs to be reported. Ensure that the ship operator lists the agent as the cargo handling agent.
• Something went wrong regarding the synchronisation of the ship's report. This may be attributable to a problem at Portbase. Please contact the Portbase service desk for assistance in this matter.

The ATA needs to be sent by the Port Authority. If this is not the case, you can have this specified via our Customer Service.

Herefore, you must send an e-mail with permission from the Port Authority to our Customer Service. We can use this to assist you in still specifying the ATA for the trip.

There is an exception for the port of Vlissingen. No ATA (or ATD) is specified for this port.

Are you planning on making use of the follow-up services (such as Cargo Declaration Import)? Then it is mandatory for certain ports such as Hansweert, Vlissingen and Terneuzen, Den Helder, Ankerplaats Zeeland and Breskens to manually enter the registered CRN in the screen. For the other ports, you can search for the ship using the IMO number or vessel name. After you have done this, it is also possible to copy a previously entered trip.

Currently the agent will be called when the HCC/HOC makes a change. During this call the agent will receive an explanation why their order was changed. During evaluation the agents and service providers will discuss if the reasons should also be displayed in PCS.

It is possible to remove the ATA and ATD. However, you must first contact the Port Authority. Both the ATA and the ATD are automatically issued by the Port Authority. As soon as you receive an email confirming that the ATA/ATD may be removed, you can forward this to the Portbase service desk. We can use this to assist you in removing the ATA or ATD for the trip specified.

In case of a storm extra information may be required for vessels which are about to depart from Rotterdam and which require a pilot. In that case an infobar will be shown.

Depending on the lenght of the vessel, the vessel draft (< 9 meters) and the weather conditions, shore based pilotage may be allowed. Shore based pilotage is allowed when:

• The vessel length is smaller than or equal to 125 meters and vessel draft than or equal to 9 meters when the pilotage status is 'halted for small vessels'
• The vessel length is smaller than or equal to 150 meters and vessel draft than or equal to 9 meters when the pilotage status is 'halted for all vessels'

Vessels longer than 150 meters are never piloted remotely, and only have to indicate whether a pilot can debark either by helicopter or hoisting.

This error is attributable to the fact that the data in the upload file does not match the data that is stated in the vessel call. The data in the vessel call will have to be adjusted to match the data stated in the upload file. This is related to the listed date/time not corresponding. If the data matches, the file can be uploaded again and it will be processed.

A berth can only be removed if it has not yet received an ATA. If the berth has not yet received an ATA, it can be removed. Make sure that no cargo, hazardous substances or waste materials have been reported at these berths. These will have to be removed first. If nothing has been booked for the berth, the berth can be removed. You can remove a berth in the vessel call by means of the trash can.

When receiving this notification, it is important to check which party has cargo booked on this trip:

• Is it you? Then make sure that this cargo is removed from the service Cargo Declaration Import. Make sure that you do send the SAL to Customs after you have removed it. As soon as this has been done, it becomes possible to cancel the trip.
• Is it another agent? Then said agent needs to remove the cargo in its screen. You need to contact the agent and request them to remove this cargo. You also need to ask them to re-send the SAL.

Hazardous substances
If the system indicates that hazardous substances are still listed on the vessel call, then use Cargo Declaration Import to locate the hazardous substances notification. Next click on the flame icon so that you are taken to the notification. Here, the possibility also exists that another agent has reported their hazardous substances and they need to remove this in the same manner. After that, you can remove the hazardous substances per consignment via the trash can. Next save this, after which the vessel call can be cancelled.

Waste
Does the system indicate that waste is still listed on the vessel call? Then click on the tab ‘Waste Declaration’ in the vessel call. You will we taken to ‘Waste Declaration’, where you can remove waste by clicking on the CANCEL button. Once this has been done, the vessel call can also be cancelled.

There are various reasons why you might be unsuccessful in transferring a vessel call to another agent:

• The vessel call has been rejected with a berth sequence error. If that is the case, it is also not possible to transfer the vessel call. When a berth sequence error is shown in the screens, this means that the specified berth sequence does not correspond to the information available to the Port Authority. The order of the berths will need to be adjusted. You can contact the Port Authority for this or consult the e-mail with the correct order of berths sent by the Port Authority.
• An inactive cargo handling agent has been used. In that case, the vessel call cannot be transferred either. If you have used one or more inactive cargo handling agents, you must delete them and next hit save. After that, it is possible to transfer the ship.
• In order to be able to transfer the ship to another agent, it is important that the berths are set to ‘arrived’. All previously specified berths will need to have an ATA in order to be able to transfer them.