PORT ROYAL CUSTOMS OFFICE

• The name Port Royal means Royal Port that is, the Port of the Queen.

THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CUSTOMS OFFICE IN PORT ROYAL

• The Custom’s Port Royal Office falls under the purview of the Sufferance Wharves Unit of the JCA.

• The Customs Office was established in the 1940’s; however, after massive hurricane damage to the structure, it was re-built in the 1950’s. The office then had one senior officer who was referred to as the Tide Surveyor. His support staff was two Customs Protection Officers, six Boatmen, a Quarantine Officer, a Doctor and an Immigration Officer. It should be noted that the Customs Protection Officers and the Boatmen were Port Royal residents. The Tide Surveyor and their families would live on the premises and so did the Quarantine Officer and the Immigration Officer.

• The reason for such arrangement is that it was mandatory for every ship that entered Jamaican waters to stop at Port Royal before they were allowed to move to the designated Seaport. It was also a requirement for ships to present a Manifest and medical report attesting the health of the crew and passengers in order to prevent serious contamination to locals.

• If the local resident Doctor was not satisfied with health status of the crew, the Vessel was asked to dock at the Chacolaca Hole now known as the Parade Square (Coastguard base) and the crew and passengers would be quarantined at the Naval Hospital, for further verification.

• During that period, there were four Customs boat: Starfish, Barracuda, Bonito and Romani. Starfish and Barracuda had two engines and Bonito had one. Romani was so named because it was in the shape of a horseshoe. The CPO assisted the Tide Surveyor with the processing of the vessels.

ROLES AND FUNCTIONS

o Board & Sealing of Vessels – Commercial vessels which include but not limited to fishing vessels, bunkering vessels, all pleasure crafts (yacht, power boats, catamarans, etc).

o Outward Clearance of Vessels (Port Clearance).

o Continuous Monitoring of All Vessels.

o Issuance of Coastwise Clearances to Pleasure Crafts & Commercial Vessels, when and where necessary.

o Processing of On/Off Signers, where necessary.

o Releasing of cargo, where necessary,

o Monitoring of Stores to be taken on any Vessel within our scope

o Internal recording of Vessels

o Rummaging of Vessels

o Process for Payment of Duties for any item declared on a Vessel, when needed

o Escort of Goods for Transshipment

THE EXTENT OF CUSTOMS OPERATIONS WITHIN PORT ROYAL

• Monitoring of the cays and its environs, that is, Lime Cay, Gun Cay, Bushy Cay, Maiden Cay and Drunken Man Cay. All these Cays are South-south East of Port Royal.

• Monitoring of the mangroves stretching from Port Royal to include Rosy Hole, the uncanalized areas of Portmore which includes Edgewater and Hellshire Beach and the Airport Strip.

• Monitoring of St. Albans Pier (Causeway)

PORT ROYAL CUSTOMS IMPORTANCE IN BORDER PROTECTION

• Surveillance – land and sea to protect and monitor the coastline of Jamaica.

• Help to decrease Human Trafficking between Jamaica and its regional neighbours and international countries.

• Proper Tariff Classification of Goods.

• Fosters teamwork between Marine Police/Coastguard which will seek to decrease the number of marine crimes committed by locals and international countries.

• Helps to minimize the Gun for Drugs Trade as well as Food for Gun Trade.

PORT ROYAL CUSTOMS IN THE TOURIST TRADE

• The office is the first point of interaction with Tourists arriving on pleasure craft (yacht, power boat and cruiser).

Overview of the Sufferance Wharves Unit and its impact on operations of the JCA

• A Sufferance Wharf is a private wharf approved by the Minister of Finance and is designated to load/unload a particular type of cargo only. The most important function of the unit is the constant monitoring of vessels that go into the Ports to load/unload cargo and proceed to another destination.

• As an exception, a vessel can report for repairs, bunkering and crew change. Bunkering is the process of supplying fuels to ships for their own use. The Unit fosters good shipping relationship between Jamaica and international countries. It aids in the fight against the Guns for Drugs trade, Food for Guns Trade, and by extension, the protection of Jamaican borders.

• The Unit also performs functions on behalf of the Ministries of Agriculture, Health and National Security, among others.