<http://www.miamitodaynews.com/news/080124/story2.shtml>

New Haiti customs system slows Miami River cargo

By Risa Polansky
A recent change in Haiti's system of collecting customs duties is
causing confusion at ports of call, leaving cargo lingering and
causing delays in transit — hitting Miami River businesses hard.
"Everything is still because of events that are taking place in
Haiti. There's not a lot of trade happening," said Fran Bohnsack,
executive director of the Miami River Marine Group.
Richard Dubin, vice president of Miami River-based Haiti Shipping
Lines, estimates that, since November, business has been down 80%
from past seasons.
During November and December, he usually sees 10 to 12 boats come
in to facilitate trade to Haiti, he said. Last year, it was only two
or three.
"Believe it or not, some people are still trying to get their
Christmas cargo through the customs process there," he said. "It's
been a nightmare."
Supportive of the change to "properly collect the duties and put
them in the right pockets" in Haiti, it's the execution of the new
system that cargo business are struggling with, Mr. Dubin said.
Munir Mourra, president of River Terminal Services, agreed "the
problem is not the fact that the duties are being collected, it's the
application."
Haitian port workers have been poorly trained to handle new
regulations, Mr. Dubin said, and communication has been muddled.
"It should be a one-day, two-day process," he said. "I've had
cargo sitting at the port for almost two months."
The delays mean "there's a lot of people hurting and a lot of
merchandise spoiling," Mr. Dubin said, noting that "the majority of
the cargo that comes from South Florida to Haiti is food items, and
they're perishable."
Throughout the river, Mr. Mourra said, "we fear that this might
cause a humanitarian crisis."
As food exports to Haiti dwindle, "prices of goods (there) are
probably going to be doubled," he said, to the detriment of the
Haitian population, which depends on the "basic commodities" that
come from here, such as rice, beans, oils and cornmeal.
Miami jobs have already suffered, Mr. Mourra said.
"Pretty much the stevedoring has been off" on the Miami River, he
said. "We've had to lay off some people."
Mr. Dubin predicts "you'll see a lot of the businesses that
support these boats probably close, go out of business, lose a lot of
money."
The situation in Haiti has been "getting better," Ms. Bohnsack
said, since it began in November.
But because of the numerous entities affected, from exporters to
stevedores, she said, it's "hard to get it started right back up again."
Those who have diverted their shipping routes may have a hard
time going back to Haiti, Mr. Mourra agreed.
"Once you pull out a vessel," he said, "it's very difficult to go
back."
As is convincing exporters to trust the process and try shipping
Haiti again after they've been burned by inefficiency there, Mr.
Dubin said.
The local industry has been reaching out to Haitian officials to
facilitate a smoother transition, both River businessmen said.
If the situation is not soon resolved, it could have a "major
impact to sales and to labor" here, Mr. Mourra warned.
The local Haitian Consulate did not return a call for comment.



Pix Mahler
pix@...
http://www.pcusa.org/missionconnections/profiles/mahlerp.htm
PCUSA Haiti Partnership Facilitator
1022 Floyd St.
Lynchburg, VA 24501
434-385-9486