Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting devoted to Primorsky Territory development instructed the Russian government to look into the situation related to bunkering of ships in Russian ports, the published transcript of the meeting said.
The issue was brought up by a member of the Presidium of the Russian public organization OPORA RUSSIA Vitali Humeniuk.
"Bunkers suppliers are facing a very pressing problem. Customs authorities have ceased declaring of ship’s stores, laid down a number of new requirements. We know that the customs authorities have turned to the government to be instructed on the issue. We would like to speed up this process, because now the businesses, especially the bunkering segment, are in limbo. Customs authorities set up several requirements, which differ at every checkpoint, like that one that includes a rule saying if the fuel volume supplied exceeds a thousand tonne the operation should be carried out only at a pier. It does not say when, where and how. I think that the number of transit ships that currently call at the port Vladivostok is going to decline", Humeniuk was quoted as saying.
Another participant of the meeting, Deputy Head of the Federal Customs Service of Russia (FCS) Ruslan Davidov said the problem the problem has persisted for several years and claimed that some shipowners resort to complicated schemes to get duty free fuels. He added that the FCS has sent a proposal to the Ministry of Transport on criteria of reasonable sufficiency of bunkering, based on the frequency of ship calls and the announced route.
President of Rosneft Igor Sechin said that his company is also concerned about the instructions of the chief of the Central Energy Customs concerning bunkering rules. "A similar situation is unfolding in Novorossiysk, not only in the Far East. The head of the Central Energy Customs (ETC) has sent a telegram to the relevant regional departments. We believe that this is an illegal action. I have spoken recently with Andrei Belyaninov on the matter, called him and asked him to intervene and to examine the question more directly," Sechin said.
Following the discussion, Vladimir Putin instructed the responsible officials to look into the situation "so that no one would breach anything, but also that there would be no restrictions for entrepreneurship". At the same time he called the facts as abuse of power when in the same situation one bunker supplier gets the green light, while others are forbidden to supply fuels.
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