IMO-Singapore project on Maritime Single Window delivery at Angola Port completed
Single Window for Facilitation of Trade (SWiFT) project successfully handed over at Port of Lobito, Angola
A handover ceremony to mark the completion of the pilot Single Window for Facilitation of Trade (SWiFT) project of the newly developed generic Maritime Single Window (MSW) platform was conducted at the Port of Lobito in Angola on 20 November 2023.
The ceremony was held after a successful week-long user acceptance testing session, organised virtually by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), involving officials from the International Maritime Organization (IMO), MPA and Port of Lobito. The new MSW digital system allows the electronic submission, through a single online portal, of all information required by various agencies to ensure efficient clearance of ships during port calls there.
Maritime Single Windows mandatory from January 2024
From 1 January 2024, it will be mandatory for ports around the world to operate Maritime Single Windows for the exchange of information required at the point of a ship’s arrival, during its stay and at departure. The change is in line with international shipping’s aspirations to accelerate digitalisation and decarbonisation of the sector and is the result of amendments to the IMO’s FAL Convention.
The SWiFT project, one of IMO’s strategic partnerships with donors, was established by IMO and Singapore in March 2021 to support medium-size ports in establishing secure digital interconnectivity with counterparts worldwide, to meet IMO’s mandatory obligations under the FAL Convention.
Collaboration to support digital transformation
Under the SWiFT project, IMO and MPA worked closely with relevant Angolan stakeholders, including the Port of Lobito and Agência Marítima Nacional, to develop a functional generic MSW platform configured to the needs of the Port of Lobito.
The SWiFT project was supported by Singapore via in-kind contributions and by IMO via the Integrated Technical Cooperation Programme (ITCP) which assists countries in building up their capacities to enable effective compliance with the Organization’s regulatory framework.
The initiative builds upon an earlier successful project coordinated by IMO that saw successful delivery in 2019 of a Maritime Single Window system in Antigua and Barbuda.