Shipping agents gripe about Baltic Customs handling of bunker clearing issues
Association St. Petersburg Shipping Agencies has addressed its request to the Chief of Customs Clearance and Customs Control Department of the Federal Customs Service (FCS) of Russia Vladimir Ivin. According to the Association’s letter obtained by PortNews, the problem is that the local Baltic Customs violates international agreements on clearance procedure of bunker (fuel and lubes) onboard transit ships.
For an example, the shipping agencies Association mentioned the Malta-flagged ATLANTIC ELAND, which arrived (empty) in Big Port St. Petersburg on September 7, 2012, while en route to international port, to take onboard the aluminum cargo. Upon arrival the vessel had to undergo some routine maintenance and repair at Kanonersky shipyard. Baltic customs officers registered the vessel as temporary import vessel, putting a mark on a common declaration "Period of temporary importation 10/07/12," placing the ship for clearance procedure on the Customs Union territory. The ship was to undergo customs procedure of re-export.
On October 2, 2012 the vessels docked at berth #6 for loading with aluminum.
Before the ship proceeded with the cargo, the crew had to replenish supplies, including fuel and foodstuff. Foods were declared in accordance with Chapter 50 of the Customs Code of the Customs Union (hereinafter CUCC). However, the Baltic Customs refused to declare the bunker under the same chapter and aproved by Procedure of carrying out certain customs operations using customs regime of moving supplies and fuel (Procedure the FCS, Dec.29, 2007 No 1665).
This situation, according to the authors of the letter, is a violation of provisions of the standards 15 and 16 of Chapter 4 of the Appendix J «Special procedures" to the International Convention on the simplification and harmonization of customs procedures and Chapter 50 of CUCC.