Articles

Cyprus Port Operations System

Methodos IT develops and maintains the Cyprus Port Operations System (CyPOS) for the management of Cyprus Port Authority. CyPOS is a mature system, in use for more than 15 years, actively enhanced throughout this period. It serves the needs of both Cyprus Ports Authority and the port community at large.

The system consists of a number of modules for vessel operations and cargo handling. It interfaces with other local organizations such as Customs and shipping agent systems and also provides information to European institutions such as Safe Sea Net and Eurostat.

CyPOS has a number of external users, the main category of which are the shipping agents and forwarders. Shipping agents provide information starting with the announcement of a vessel call to a local port and the requirements for the various services it needs such as berthing facilities, cranes, etc. They also provide (or authorise others to do so) cargo import and export manifests and dangerous goods declarations as needed by port regulations and Safe Sea Net .

This information is then made available to various internal modules which handle port planning, ship movements, tug boat movements, cranes utilization, etc. Other modules handle cargo loading, unloading, storing and delivering. CyPOS includes an invoicing module where all debt is calculated, monitored and collected. The shipping agents can monitor all the operations as they take place, including invoices.

Through out the life of a vessel call, information is being exchanged with other agencies as needed. Customs is the most prominent of these. Customs is provided with the same cargo manifest declaration so that a common information base is established for further processing. A landing report is then provided which includes any discrepancies found. Customs makes available cargo clearance for delivery.

Other agencies such as fire department, marine police, department of agriculture, etc. are also given access to information as needed for port security and public safety. The local Department of Merchant Shipping, which is responsible for vessel's port state control, is also part of the system.

In summary, CyPOS covers the following major functional areas:

  • Vessel and Call Management
  • Vessel Loading and Discharge
  • Vessel & Crane Scheduling
  • Billing of container and ship operations
  • Container Strip & Stuff
  • Warehouse Management
  • Exchange of information with Customs
  • Goods Declaration Management – Cargo Manifests
  • Invoicing
  • Statistics
  • Passenger and Vehicle Traffic

Customs and Excise System

1. Customs and Excise System

MethodosIT builds applications and provides services and expertise support to the departments of Customs and Excise, for the Republics of Cyprus and Malta.

 

1.1. Case Management System for customs:

Our system records and analyses data collected by various customs departments such as: Investigations, Post Control, Intelligence and Risk analysis. Connects cases, people, organisations, goods and customs actions in a simple interface that facilitates leverage to the end user by incorporating existing knowledge to new cases. Maintains historical data which records the decision making process of the customs officers at various administrative levels. Tracks any additional debt created as a result of each case.

 

1.2. Bonded and Tax warehousing:

This application allows Customs authorities to monitor goods entering Bonded or Tax warehouse regimes. It maintains a stock account for each item entering a warehouse and validates all in/out movements of goods from various sources. It can work on a post-control mode, under which the goods are allowed to leave the stock, even creating negative balances if needed and provides the tools for the customs officers to post control the movements. It can also be used in a more traditional mode under which actions on goods are prohibited unless all validations are met.

Although it provides its own web base interface, most of the information is provided through the integration with Import, Export, Excise Movement and Control System (EMCS). The integration provides validation services to other modules so that data correction can take place before they can finish their processing.

 

1.3. Debt Tracking and Financial Management.

Provides a unified application for recording, tracking and settling debt. Debt is recorded from interfaces with various other modules such as an Import duties and excise system or it can, of course, be entered directly in the system through a web base interface.

It enforces department policies with regards to deferred payment, including guarantee management, and indirect representation. The ability to use deferred payment can be associated, for example, with commodities and procedure codes in a flexible way.

It utilizes a payment services system, such as credit card processing services or bank transfers, to collect debt in addition to normal means of payment.

Additionally, it provides debt ageing analysis and reports income to central budgeting and accounting departments of the government and EU.

 

1.4. Integration Services

In addition to our own applications, we provide integration services for our customers. These include various interfaces between our modules and other systems, such as

  • recording and settling debt from Import processing systems which includes duties , excise, interest, VAT, etc.
  • maintaining Bonded Warehouse stock from Import, Export, and Excise Movement and Control System (EMCS) system interfaces.
  • recording , tracking and settling debt resulted from the Investigation module.
  • interfacing with shipping agents and forwarders to record manifest data.
  • interface with Ports Authorities to exchange manifest data, goods landing reports, customs clearance and seizure information.

 

As Customs departments and Ports Authorities have operations that continually interact, it is important that we have expertise in both organizations. This allows us to smooth the interactions and provide integrated solutions not only at the purely technical level but also at the operational.

 

We use cookies to improve our website and your experience when using it. Cookies used for the essential operation of the site have already been set. To find out more about the cookies we use and how to delete them, see our privacy policy.

I accept cookies from this site.
EU Cookie Directive plugin by www.channeldigital.co.uk