One of the most important parts of the organisational structure of the PSA Voltri-Pra Terminal is the staff of the Vessel Documentation. Let’s find out exactly what they do.
The Vessel Documentation Department is the first port of call for the operation of the ship, which means all the containers that have to be loaded and unloaded. The shipping companies send a list of the containers that have to be moved and on the basis of this the Vessel Documentation staff prepares the necessary measures to carry out the operations in the best way possible. This is especially the case for the special containers like the Reefer containers, as well as the oversize and dangerous goods containers. In these cases it is necessary to monitor the temperature of the refrigeration unit, organises the movement of the oversize containers, monitor the relevant authorisation for the dangerous goods and carry out a series of controls to guarantee the complete safety of the operations. There is a separate list, which refers to the empty containers that are subject to their own individual procedure.
For its role of organisation and control, the Vessel Documentation department finds itself having to collaborate on the front line with various other authorities. It organises the customs verifications, sends the documents of everything that has been loaded and unloaded to the Financial Guard as well as collaborating with the Port Captaincy. Once the ship has received the various authorisation required by the various authorities, the ship can be considered “closed” and the relative documentation is passed on to the Terminal Control Room to plan the loading and unloading operations.
The department works 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and employs 10 members of staff. Another one of its duties is the booking of trains entering and leaving the Terminal for rail transport. Today the activities are mostly automated and with respect to the past it is very rarely that there is need for manual interventions, only in exceptional cases, such as the movement of an empty container. On average three ships are prepared every day, with a maximum of five during peak periods.
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