Cathay Cargo is sharing its expertise on paperless shipments with the e-Port of Xiamen under a project for APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) to facilitate paperless operations and promote supply chain connectivity across the region.

Under a memorandum of understanding signed in June, Cathay Pacific has been selected to run a paperless, e-freight pilot scheme, working with China Pilot Free Trade Zone Xiamen E-Port Company in Xiamen.

APEC is a forum for 21 Pacific Rim member economies that promotes free trade throughout the Asia-Pacific region. In 2014, it created a network of ports to be part of its Asia-Pacific Model e-Port Network (APMEN). Xiamen is one of these ports and is part of the forum’s ambitions to achieve a 10 per cent improvement in regional supply chain efficiency by maximising the use of technology.

Cathay Cargo Systems and Planning Optimisation Manager Jackson Chan said: ‘APEC wants to accomplish quicker trade by establishing APMEN. They invited Cathay Pacific to be the pilot carrier to demonstrate the best practice in paperless operations using e-AWB and e-Freight, as well as connecting to Xiamen’s Single Window process. We plan to cooperate with Xiamen e-Port on this pilot on our flights to Xiamen and we will endeavour to make these flights paper-free.’

If successful, APMEN will lead the roll-out of similar programmes in other ports, using new technology as it becomes available. Jackson added: ‘In future, if Customs, for example, wants to check the paper document for a shipment, they will be able to scan a QR barcode on the shipment with a handheld device.’

For more information, visit http://mddb.apec.org/Documents/2015/CTI/CTI1/15_cti1_046rev1.pdf