Cat Lai port congested due to container backlog

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Electronic scrap was seized by HCM City Customs officers in early 2017. Photo: Thu Hoa.

The Customs Branch of Saigon port, Zone 1 and Saigon Newport Corporation has shown that there have been 169 imported containers at Cat Lai port with 90 days overdue, but there has been no one coming to receive them. Therefore, functional forces are conducting procedures to find the owners of these containers.

According to investigation of a Customs Newspaper’s reporter, these containers are mainly plastic scrap and metal scrap (with more than 130 containers) and the rest are food products (frozen chicken legs and potatoes), glass shades, chemicals and fabrics.

In addition to the above container backlog, at Cat Lai port, there has been a backlog of 481 containers with used automobile tires which were imported at Cat Lai port with 90 days overdue. In particular, 281 containers (6,744 tons) were disposed of in 2016; and 200 containers were not handled. With a large number of used automobile tires, Cat Lai port may be congested if these containers are not resolved quickly.

According to the HCM City Customs Department, if functional forces carry out destruction of the goods mentioned above, the cost will be very high, negatively impacting on the State budget.

According to Mr. Le Thanh Hai, the Deputy Manager of the Customs Branch of Saigon port, Zone 1, there are many reasons for a large number of derelict containers at Cat Lai port as follows: Many enterprises with ineffective operations, losses and tax debts have refused to receive these goods after importing them at Cat Lai port;

Some individuals and organizations have been not eligible to import goods into Vietnam, so they cannot conduct import procedures for these containers;

Some enterprises imported garbage, scrap and waste from foreign countries and then abandoned goods. A few overseas enterprises mis-sent goods into Vietnam but they refused to re-import these goods.

In addition, many exported goods of Vietnam have been returned due to substandard quality and then, domestic enterprises abandoned these goods.

According to the HCM City Customs Department, in the process of resolving the backlog of goods at the port gate in accordance with Circular 203 / TT-BTC of 22nd December 2014 of the Ministry of Finance, there have been a lot of cargo containers on the list of prohibited imports such as waste rubber and used automobile tires. In particular, there were some other goods which were not banned goods on the documents, but after inspecting them, the Customs force discovered that these goods were on the list of prohibited goods (used household goods and used medical equipment); products subject to specialized inspections (paper scrap and plastic scrap) which caused difficulties for Customs authorities to handle.

The HCM City Customs Department said that there was a need for common handling for the container backlog because most enterprises decided to abandon goods in the case where they were faced with the above problems. In addition, shippers and owners refused to come to receive goods, which caused difficulties for the Customs force to verify the owners of goods, leading to a large number of derelict containers at the port.

In particular, for container backlog causing environmental pollution such as old tires and scrap plastic as defined in Paragraph 6b, Article 58 of the Customs Law; shippers and owners of these containers must be responsible for shipping goods out of the territory of Vietnam. However, in reality, for many containers with scrap such as old automobile tires, due to unidentified shippers and owners of these goods, the Customs force had to destroy them, causing costs for the State budget.

Therefore, the HCM City Customs Department has proposed that in the case where goods are on the list of prohibited exports and imports, and functional forces can detect owners of goods, they will handle violated cases with administrative sanctions in accordance with Decree No. 45/2016 / ND-CP or conduct criminal prosecution in accordance with the Law. In the case where goods are on the list of prohibited exports and imports, but Customs officers cannot identify the owner of the goods, they will handle violated cases in accordance with Clause 4, Article 126 of the Law on handling administrative violations.

Nearly 130 containers of derelict imported goods in the Cat Lai port VCN – There have been 128 containers of derelict imported goods in the Cat Lai port, Ho ...

In addition, the HCM City Customs Department has also proposed that there should be guidelines for container backlog causing environmental pollution such as old car tires as stipulated in Clause 6b, Article 58 of the Customs Law. Specifically, shippers of containers are responsible for shipping the goods out of Vietnam's territory if functional forces cannot identify the owner.