What is a File Reference?¶

A file Reference for imports typically refers to a document or record which provide details about the goods which has been brought from abroad. It contains information such as the type of goods, their quantity, value, origin, shipper, consignee, notify, delivery agent etc. This document is crucial for ensuring compliance with import regulations. That information will be compiled and sent to the CCS in the form of EDI or XML.

 

What are the Types of File Reference we should cater for?¶

(a)    Full Container Load.

(b)    Least Container Load.

(c)    Direct Shipment.

 

Pre-Requisite:¶

Despite there is no such pre-requisite for this functionality, the system should allow the user to pick-up Quotation to build up the File Reference and should be categorized by its Type.

 

Requirements:¶

        I.            User should be able to Retrieve their file Reference based on their types.¶

      II.            The User should be able to create different types of File Reference.¶

    III.            Issuance of Notice of Arrival, Advice of Arrival.¶

    IV.            Ability to upload and View document/s.¶

      V.            Generate the Cost and sales report.¶

    VI.            Generate the House Delivery order in PDF / EDI /XML.¶

  VII.            Receive and integrate EDI / XML from origin on the File Reference screen.¶

VIII.            Push EDI / XML towards the CCS.¶

 

 

 

Contents of the File Reference (Section I and II):¶

Description of Part (I) and (II) which talks about the Retrieval of an Existing File Reference and its Creation.

1.      Display list of file reference as illustrated below.

Nested:

Creation Date	Master File Reference	File Reference No	Vessel Name	ETA	Voyage Number	Port of Origin	Port of Destination	Status
19/03/2025	MAS05525	MACCS25SFE03101	MSC IRIS	20/03/2025	17R	AEDXB - UNITED ARAB EMIRA - DUBAI	MUPLU- MAURITIUS-PORT LOUIS	In Progress

 

House BL No	Shipper	Consignee	Port of Origin	Number of Pieces	Weight (KGS)
HS19032025	XYZ LTD	AGILISS LTD	AEDXB - UNITED ARAB EMIRA - DUBAI	15	100

 

2.      Display ‘Create File Reference’.

(a)    When clicking on the ‘Create File Reference’ button, a new page should be displayed.

(b)    Field to be present on the ‘File Reference’ Screen.

Vessel Details¶

·         ATP Number – Should be retrieved from the ‘Shipment cost’ screen.

·         Voyage Number

·         Vessel Name

·         File status Display – In Progress, Confirmed, Cancelled.

·         ETA (Expected Date of Arrival).

·         ATA (Actual Date of Arrival).

·         Unloading Terminal (TMCT or TMPT).

·         Port of Loading.

·         Port of Transshipment.

·         Final Destination.

·         Port of unloading.

·         Upload Notice of Arrival received from Shipping Line (Toggle)

·         Target Sales

·         Comments Field

Cost and Sales

·         Use same Cost and Sales Bar Chart used for Export.

 

Master Bill of Lading Information¶

·         Master Bill of Lading Reference.

• Added Field (21/04/2025): Release Type field to be added - This will be used for Display or select from a dropdown list. This may contain information such as (Original B/L, Express Release or Seawaybill).

·         Number of Packages.

·         Weight.

·         Volume.

·         Goods Description.

·         Shipper (Name and Address) - [Address should be limited to 35 character in each box]

·         Consignee (Name and Address) - [Address should be limited to 35 character in each box]

·         Notify (Name and Address) - [Address should be limited to 35 character in each box]

·         Notify 1 (Name and Address) - - [Address should be limited to 35 character in each box]

·         Delivery Agent (Name and Address)

Cost (Master)

(a)    Charges

(b)    Type

(c)    Currency

(d)    Amount

(e)    VAT

(f)      VAT Amount

(g)    Total

(h)    Exchange Rate

(i)      Additional Information

 

 

Sales (Master)

(a)    Charges

(b)    Type

(c)    Currency

(d)    Amount

(e)    VAT

(f)      VAT Amount

(g)    Total

(h)    Exchange Rate

(i)      Discount

(j)      Additional Information

(k)    Disbursement

(l)      Bill to

 

Adding Container/s or Bulk¶

(a)    Option to add one or multiple containers / Bulk.

(b)    Container / Bulk Reference.

Bulk cargo Reference is a field found under the container for groupage cargo (NB: This should be mandatory)

(c)    Name of CFS in case of LCL shipment (Place where the goods will be unstuffed - Pick list from CCS)

(d)    Container Type.

(e)    Storage / Free time and Demurrage (Can be inserted in a pop-up)

(f)      Tare Weight.

(g)    Gross Weight.

(h)    Volume.

(i)      Number of packages

(j)      Sea Pollutant (Yes / No)

(k)    Dangerous (Yes / No) – If Yes, Provide below

UNDG

IMO

Description

Packaging Group

Goods State

Unit Measure

Flashpoint

EMS

 

(l) Refrigerated (Yes / No) - If Yes, Provide below

(a) Min Temperature

(b) Max Temperature

(C) Unit Temperature (Dropdown)

Seal Section¶

(a)    Seal Number

(b)    Seal Type (Carrier, Custom, Manifest, Shipper, Terminal Operator)

 

 

 

House Bill of Lading Information.¶

(a)    Option to Add one or More House Bill of Lading.

• Added Field (21/04/2025): Release Type field to be added - This will be used for Display or select from a dropdown list. This may contain information such as (Original B/L, Express Release or Seawaybill).
• Added Field (21/04/2025): To display a list of salesperson - Information to be displayed is based on the salesperson found on the quotation. In case it does not come from a quotation, the operation officer will select the respective salesperson.

(b)    Option to Extract information from Existing Quotation.

(c)    Option to Use Existing House Bill of Lading.

(d)    House Bill of Lading Reference.

(e)    Quotation Reference (Display only).

(f)      House Bill of Lading State: (In Progress, Confirmed, Approved, Closed)

(g)    Incoterm.

(h)    Packaging.

(i)      Number of Packages.

(j)      Weight

(k)    Volume

(l)      Type of shipment (Depends on the types selected).

(m)   House Bill of lading Stage (Part / Complete) – Pieces and weight to be depleted upon assigning to a House BL.

(n)    Switch BL (Toggle Yes / No).

(o)    Co-Load (Toggle Yes / No).

(p)    Clearing Services (Toggle Yes / No).

(q)    Landing and Shipping (Toggle Yes /No) - House BL marked as landing and shipping shall be re-used in the export module.

added: Port of origin

(r)      Port of Loading.

(s)    Final Destination.

(t)      Description of Goods

(u)    Marks and numbers.

(v)     Dangerous Goods (Yes or No) – If Yes Provide below.

UNDG

IMO

Description

Packaging Group

Goods State

Unit Measure

Flashpoint

EMS

 

(w)   Shipper’s Name and Address. - [Address should be limited to 35 character in each box]

(x)     Consignee Name and Address. - [Address should be limited to 35 character in each box]

(y)     Notify Name and Address. - [Address should be limited to 35 character in each box]

(z)     Notify 1 Name and Address. - [Address should be limited to 35 character in each box]

(aa)                        Delivery Agent Name and Address - [Address should be limited to 35 character in each box]

(bb)                        Activity Logs – Logging of all activities that is made by the user.

(cc)                Upload and View Document received from Origin.

 

 

Uses of the different Status of the House Bill of Lading.¶

1.      In progress – Shall be used when an operation officer is still working on a file reference. At this stage a minimal validation is required.

2.      Confirmed – All information has already been inserted concerning this shipment and further validation is required.

3.      Approved – This indicate that the File has been approved by a Supervisor / Manager, showing that all value related to the file is vetted. Invoice can be issued at this stage.

4.      Closed – Payment already effected by the Importer / Client and Delivery order issued.

 

Cost and Sales at House Level¶

·         Use same Cost and Sales Bar Chart used for Export.

 

 

 

Cost (House).

a.      Charges

b.      Type

c.      Currency

d.      Amount

e.      VAT

f.        VAT Amount

g.       Total

h.      Exchange Rate

i.        Additional Information

 

 

 

Sales (House).

a.      Charges

b.      Type

c.      Currency

d.      Amount

e.      VAT

f.        VAT Amount

g.       Total

h.      Exchange Rate

i.        Discount

j.        Additional Information

k.       Disbursement

l.        Bill to

Issuance of Notice of Arrival and Advice of Arrival (Section III)¶

 

What is the Difference between NOA and AOA?¶

Notice of Arrival (NOA):

 This document notifies the consignee (the person receiving the shipment) about the arrival of a shipment. It provides details like the vessel, expected arrival date and time, and other information. This document consists of charges

Advice of Arrival (AOA):

This document confirms the actual arrival of the shipment at the destination port. It serves as formal notification that the goods have arrived. This document does not contain charges.

 

When can a Freight Forwarder Issue an NOA or AOA?¶

The Freight forwarder can Issue the NOA / AOA to their client once they receive the NOA from the shipping line / Agents.

 

 

 

How to Implement this Functionality?¶

Add a Toggle option at the ‘Vessel Details’ level, this will allow the user to ‘Upload’ the document (NOA) received from the Shipping line / Agent.

Once the Document has been uploaded, the user shall be able to generate both an NOA or AOA according to their needs for all the related House Bill of Lading.

This can be:

(a)   Manually downloaded through the system and Send to the client.

(b)   Or sent directly through the system by inserting a Mail address or use the existing one found in the client maintenance.

 

Ability to upload and view documents (Section IV).¶

For an Import, the Freight forwarder may receive a set of documents which should be kept on the system. The user should be able to upload and view those documents for each House Bill of Lading without the need of Re-downloading them. Those documents include:

 

1.      Pre-Shipment Documents

These are documents that we received before the shipment departs from the country of Origin:

Proforma Invoice – A preliminary bill from the exporter detailing goods, price, and terms.

Purchase Order – The official order placed by the importer.

Letter of Credit or Payment Terms Agreement – A financial document ensuring payment upon meeting conditions.

2.      Shipment Documents

These accompany the shipment and confirm details:

Commercial Invoice – A final bill for the goods, required for customs clearance.

Packing List – Details of how the goods are packed, including weight, dimensions, and quantity.

Bill of Lading (B/L) – A transport document serving as a receipt of goods and contract of carriage.

Certificate of Origin – Certifies the country where goods were produced, often required for duty assessment due to Trade agreements

Insurance Certificate – Proof of insurance coverage for goods in transit

Uses and generation of Cost and Sales Report (Section V).¶

 

Cost and sales reports is used by freight forwarders for imports mainly for the financial aspects of importing goods. This includes the following:

Cost Breakdown:

This includes all costs associated with importing goods, such as freight charges, customs duties, insurance, handling fees and others.

Sales Information:

It includes details about the sales transaction, such as the selling price of the service offered, any discounts applied, and the total revenue generated from the sale.

Profitability Analysis:

This part analyses the profitability of the import transaction by comparing the total sales revenue with the total cost incurred.

 

This report should be based on:

(a)    The Overall Vessel.

(b)    On each House Bill of Lading.

 

Generation of House Delivery order in PDF / XML and EDI (Section VI).¶

A delivery order is a document that lets the importer (or consignee) collect their goods from the Terminal or Container Freight Station. It is issued by the Freight Forwarder and gives permission to release the cargo to the right person.

 

When a House Delivery Order will be generated and who has the right to access it?¶

The Delivery order will be generated by the Freight Forwarding system for each House Bill of Lading. However, only a supervisor or a manager will have access to this functionality since it is a very sensitive document.

Receive and integrate EDI / XML from origin on the File Reference screen (Section VII).¶

Some Freight forwarders receive House Manifest in the form of EDI / XML from the country of origin i.e. from their Agents. Hence, the system should be able to:

(a)   Integrate the House Manifest in EDI / XML format information into the File Reference screen with all the related information.

(b)   Automatically generate the File Reference number.

 

 

Push EDI / XML towards the CCS (Section VII).¶

The source of information on the ‘File Reference’ may come from ‘Manual Capture’ or an ‘EDI / XML received from the country of origin / Agent’ which represent the house manifest. The Freight Forwarding system should be able to push that information in the form of EDI / XML towards the CCS.

This information needs to be mapped against the CUSCAR (mandatory elements) message before its submission.

 

File closure procedures.¶

A "file closure" is the process of completing all necessary documentation, transactions, and administrative tasks which relates to a shipment.

This should include the follow in the system:

(a)   In progress - Indicates that the file reference has been initiated but is awaiting further action.

(b)   Completed - Indicates that all necessary actions related to the file reference have been completed.

(c)   Approved – This indicates that the file has been reviewed and approved by a ‘Supervisor’ or a ‘Manager’.

(d)   Closed – This indicates that all the documentation / administrative task has been completed and all records having a ‘closed’ status should have a ‘View only’ option.