About
The Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic (FAL Convention) includes in its Standard 2.1 a list of documents which public authorities generally require from ships operating in national waters.
These documents include the following:
- IMO General Declaration (FAL form 1)
- Cargo Declaration (FAL form 2)
- Ship's Stores Declaration (FAL form 3)
- Crew's Effects Declaration (FAL form 4)
- Crew List (FAL form 5)
- Passenger List (FAL form 6)
- Dangerous Goods (FAL form 7)
As one can imagine, the information contained in these documents is crucial to the well-being of the receiving country and for various reasons relevant to public health, criminality and natural environment.
The PCS will implement mandatory collection of this information from Shipping Lines for every visit to the country and will further disseminate this information to the necessary public bodies ahead of ship arrival.
Benefits
Given that vessels spend time interacting with ports across the globe, considerable collaborative efforts are required to mitigate the risks associated with moving people and goods worldwide. Whether dealing with contraband, pollutants or disease, regulatory agencies face a serious and sometimes indomitable task of planning and effecting safe and secure import/export trade programs.
Implementing this standard will advance the nation’s protective capabilities while bolstering its trade facilitation strengths. Once complete, the country will join a growing list of first-world countries enforcing, and benefitting from, the standard.
