Intermarine sets up new express lanes at terminal
The heavylift and project shipping company Intermarine said its Industrial Terminals affiliate in Houston has opened new delivery lanes to expedite the receiving of pre-cleared cargo.
Industrial Terminals said it developed what it calls the ITEX Delivery System in conjunction with the terminal operator Gulf Stream Marine to reduce terminal congestion and provide faster service to shippers that consistently provide accurate documentation.
'The new ITEX delivery service allows those trucks that have provided delivery information in advance to go directly to the cargo laydown yard and have the cargo received on a priority basis,' said Darce Kullman, general manager of Industrial Terminals. 'Because all the paperwork has been cleared in advance, we have been able to turn many ITEX deliveries in less than 20 minutes.
'Toward the end of the week we routinely have 300 to 400 trucks a day delivering export cargo,” Kullman added. 'We had to devise a way to turn trucks faster. With ITEX, all documentation work is certified by the forwarder and processed before the truck arrives. This eliminates the need to reweigh and remeasure, which reduces the total turn time considerably. In return for this certification, the truck is given priority over the non-ITEX deliveries.'
The company said that clients that wish to use the ITEX service must apply to Intermarine. Their delivery history will be checked to determine that their paperwork is consistently of high quality. If approved, the client is required to transmit via fax or e-mail the truck delivery receipt at least one hour prior to the arrival of the truck at Industrial Terminals. During this hour the delivery information is processed and the truck is pre-cleared for unloading.
