Director of HCM City Customs Department: Need to regulate strictly about granting permit for importing scraps

Non-conformity scraps imported to Cat Lai port were stopped by HCM City Customs Department. Photo: T.H

Backlogged scraps decrease

According to the Director of HCM City Customs Department Dinh Ngoc Thang, in recent times, after China implemented the polices of prohibited import for 24 types of scraps, the amount of scrap imported to Ho Chi Minh City port suddenly increased. Facing the abnormal situation as mentioned above and to strictly manage the scrap and for avoiding the risk of environmental pollution, from the early months of 2018, leaders of Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department have directed the competent units, especially the Saigon port area 1 Customs Branch, (managing Cat Lai port) and implemented a number of provisional measures, and proposed long-term solutions to the General Department of Vietnam Customs.

Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department has updated documents and re-organized regulations related to import scrap procedures, then sent to the Customs Branches. At the same time, instructed units to comply with regulations on procedures and strictly managed every change of commodities.

Notably, in June of 2018, the Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department in cooperation with the Saigon New Port Corporation reviewed to stop receiving non-conformity scrap to Cat Lai port (no license, expired license, the owner cannot be identified). Until now, backlogged goods overdue by 30 to 90 days were only 115 containers.

At the same time, issued Project No.2249 on reviewing and inspection to identify suspicious signs and organize the investigation, verification and handling of violations in the import of scraps.

Furthermore, requiring Customs Branches to review and report quickly on processed scrap data in the week in order to grasp the situation and provide solutions and report to competent authorities to consider for settlement, even for backlogged goods over 90 days of transportation from Cat Lai port to Hiep Phuoc port.

In particular, by implementing the Directive No. 27/CT-TTg dated 17/9/2018 of the Prime Minister and directives of the General Department of Vietnam Customs, the Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department has implemented many solutions in order to implement cargo clearance procedures quickly for scrap shipments eligible for import. Simultaneously review and analyze the manifest information to make a decision on the eligible goods as directed.

According to the Director of HCM City Customs Department Dinh Ngoc Thang, with many drastic solutions during the past time, until now, the number of backlogged containers (arising from 30-90 days) only was 115 containers.

Arising many obstacles

During the implementation of the guidelines on scraps management, some problems have arisen at the border-gate customs units, thus it needed to be resolved by legal documents.

For goods eligible for import which were granted certificates, the comparison and classification of imported scrap of the organizations declared on the E-manifest has faced many difficulties due to: The information on the manifest is not clear, vague information; It is very difficult to contact individual organizations on the manifest because the carrier / agent has not issued a delivery order; Notification of import goods shipment (Appendix No. 12) of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment supplied by the shipping agents to the border-gate customs branches where goods shipment would be inspected and cleared, without sending to the customs authorities where the procedures for entry of the vessel were conducted.

Therefore, the Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department requested the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to publicize Appendix 12 on the National Single Window Portal for establishing a legal basis for handling when implementing procedures for entry of the vessel by customs authorities.

For non-conformity scraps which do not meet the import requirements, the determination to re-export consignments of scrap which were taking advantage of importing scrap to put waste into Vietnam is the right policy.

In cases where the goods have enough grounds to be identified as scrap, it should not be required to discharge the goods into ports and transport them out of the Vietnamese territory (guided in Document No. 4202/TCHQ-PC); HCM City Customs Department has drastically deployed before the document No.4202 and Directive 27 of the Prime Minister was issued.

To handle the backlogged scrap, the Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department proposed: In the immediate future, the General Department of Vietnam Customs and the Ministry of Finance proposes the Government to assign the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment as chair and the hub, to coordinate with the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Finance (General Department of Vietnam Customs) to set up interdisciplinary processing teams to handle backlogged scrap shipments under the direction and inspection of the Office of the Government.

In the long run, it was necessary to legalize the management of scrap such as: Amending and supplementing relevant laws such as Maritime Law, Law on Handling Violations, Law on Environmental Protection,… Applying the international conventions such as the Basel Convention on the transport of waste and scrap in order to bind the responsibility of exporting countries and shipping carriers.

It should have a legal basis for avoiding risks to customs officials when implementing. Individualizing the related units on responsibility and implementation process. At the same time, it is necessary to thoroughly change the management method for imported scrap of the specialized management ministries (licensing procedures, inspection). There should be a system of information for sharing on the National Single Window portal on granting permits for importing scrap in order to strengthen the management of relevant authorities.