ST. JOHN’S, ANTIGUA, January 3, 2013 – eSeaClear®, the faster way to clear in and out of port, opened an office in Nelson’s Dockyard, English Harbour on December 1.

Published 12 years ago, updated 6 years ago

The office, located a few doors away from Customs and Immigration, has computers for captains to use and full-time staff to help first-time users.

“Since eSeaClear is new across all agencies involved in the clearance process, we felt a real, bricks-and-mortar office would help give captains a positive first impression,” said Bob Potter, CEO of eSeaClear. “We are really pleased that the new office, along with strong support from Customs, Immigration, and Port Authority, made eSeaClear a success to kick off the Antigua yachting season.”

The new office is within easy walking distance for vessels arriving at English Harbour and Falmouth Harbour. “This is an ideal location for eSeaClear’s office and we’re very grateful to National Parks Antigua to make it happen,” noted Bob Potter.

The eSeaClear office opening coincided with the annual Charter Yacht Show December 2-8, the first major event of the season in Antigua. eSeaClear processed over 500 clearances in December, including 2,500 crew and passengers.

Many skippers were not aware of eSeaClear prior to arriving in Antigua, but after using it they were enthusiastic about their experience. “It went flawlessly. I went through in minutes. It was awesome,” commented Jim, Master of the S/Y Archangel. Adam, S/Y Rosehearty, noted: “this is the easiest and fastest system I have ever used.” Jonathon, M/Y Kanga, added “you guys are making our lives so much easier. And seeing the smile on the officer’s face said it all.”

Staff in the office have been helping captains use eSeaClear to register and complete their declarations. They are also there to answer questions about eSeaClear and gather feedback to help improve the system.

The office is open 7 days a week from 8:00am-4: 30 pm, or 30 minutes before Customs and Immigration close for the day to allow yachts to complete their clearance.

For vessels arriving into Jolly Harbour, eSeaClear is arranging for a computer to be installed in early 2013 and a posted information sheet to clarify common questions.

Skippers bound for Antigua and Barbuda are encouraged to register on eSeaClear at https://www.eseaclear.com, and to provide feedback on their experience – whether at the eSeaClear office in person or virtually via email, Facebook or Twitter.

About eSeaClear

eSeaClear® is the faster, easier way to clear in and out of port. The service enables skippers to manage vessel, crew and passenger information online, and to provide declaration information to border officials in an electronic format. Rather than fill out paper forms upon arrival, captains using eSeaClear complete clearance with all border agencies in a matter of minutes. eSeaClear is currently active in Antigua and Barbuda. To learn more about eSeaClear visit https://www.eseaclear.com, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

Editor’s Note: Antigua and Barbuda are the first and at present the only, Caribbean country to be fully compliant to the new expanded eSeaClear service standard. All other Islands have their own clearance systems.

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