Why your container waits at Onne, and how to cut the wait

Where the days go

When a container sits at Onne for two weeks, most importers blame the terminal. Our own numbers tell a different story. Across 214 containers we cleared this year, the average was 6.4 days from berth to gate out. The fastest quarter of files took four days. The slowest took more than eleven.

The difference between the fast and slow files was almost never the port. It was the paperwork that arrived before the ship did, or did not.

The best day to file the PAAR is the day before the vessel arrives. The worst is a week after.

Three things that saved the most time

Final documents before arrival. When the final invoice and packing list reached us before the vessel berthed, the PAAR was ready on arrival day. Those files averaged 4.8 days.

Duty money ready. Files where the client had the duty in their bank account on the day of assessment saved more than a day on average.

A truck booked before release. We now book the truck when examination is scheduled. The box leaves the terminal the same afternoon it is released.

What still slows things down

Physical examination queues can add one to two days when several vessels berth together. Rain slows yard moves. Shipping line offices close early on Fridays. We plan around all three, but they are worth knowing.