Busan Port serves as a gateway for the Republic of Korea, handling over 10,000TEU of imports and exports in container volume. With its small land mass, trucking is a highly effective means of land transportation and as a result, the majority of logistics are handled by trucking. The commitment of Busan Port to safety is unwavering, which led to the introduction and development of the Electronic Equipment Interchange Receipt (e-EIR), reinforcing its reputation as a reliable and secure maritime gateway.
Since December 2022, Busan Port Authority with terminal operators, trucking companies, truckers, and other stakeholders, has been working on implementing the e-EIR. The e-EIR is fully operational in ten terminals as of May 2024, and by July 2024, the e-EIR is expected to be fully implemented across all terminals, completely eliminating paper exchange of EIR at Busan Port.
The e-EIR digitizes cargo transport and delivery processes, rendering paper documents obsolete. This streamlined approach minimizes physical contact between truckers and port workers, expedites processing times, and significantly reduces waiting periods at docks. By eliminating procedures that necessitate truck drivers to disembark, the risk of accidents is significantly decreasing.
Early achievements of the e-EIR are most promising. User adoption has grown rapidly, with the trucker app users surpassing 80% of the 17,324 trucks operating at Busan Port. Its excellence has been recognized with the prestigious ‘South Korea Presidential Award (1st place) at the 2023 Korea Logistics Awards.Furthermore, the switch to e-EIR is expected to save substantial costs associated with paper EIRs. Eliminating the need to collect paper waste will save over USD 308,000 annually, and the reduction in fuel costs from visiting the terminal office is anticipated to save more than USD 3.5 million per year.
Overall, the introduction and implementation of e-EIR at Busan Port is expected to deliver safer, more convenient, and more cost-effective port services.