ECONOMY

Not everyone is happy with digital system in Piraeus

Not everyone is happy with digital system in Piraeus

The digital transformation of Greek ports – i.e. the adoption of procedures that will reduce the number of documents required for activities ranging from unloading ships to customs processing – has divided Piraeus deeply.

The reason for that is the adoption by Piraeus Container Terminal (PCT) – the local subsidiary of China’s Cosco Shipping that manages terminals II and III – of a digital platform to which every user must submit all related data. The system, which is called the Hellenic Port Community System and has been developed in cooperation with Eurobank, is interconnected with the Hellenic Customs Administration, one of the main units of the Independent Authority for Public Revenue, and promises to slash the time for container handling from six hours to just 20 minutes.

The adoption of such an online system has long been the demand of the market and an objective for modernization, including by the association of shipping agents (DNE) that is now reacting against it. However, the fact that no public or independent entity proceeded with the creation of such a system led PCT to undertake the initiative.

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