CARGO volume at the country’s largest
container terminal posted its third consecutive month of growth,
up 4% in November to 1.17 million metric tons (MMT) from the
same period last year’s 1.12 mmt.
But the cumulative January-November 2006 volume for the Manila
International Container Terminal (MICT) was lower compared
to a year earlier. Cargo volume for the period was down 3%
to 12.98 mmt from the previous year’s 13.42 mmt, based
on latest data from the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA).
Based on the 11-month performance, MICT, operated by International
Container Terminal Services, Inc, needed to handle some 1.86
mmt in December just to top its 2005 volume. In December 2005,
the terminal handled 1.4 mmt.
Containerized cargo for January to November also dipped 1.8%
to 1.06 million TEUs from the previous year’s 1.08 million
TEUs.
For November, containerized cargo improved 8% to 103,391 TEUs
from 95,713 TEUs of 2005.
A total of 1,835 ships docked at the port for the 11-month
period vis-ˆ-vis the previous 1,680 vessels.
Ship traffic also grew in November with 169 vessels docking
at the port, 10 more than the previous figure.
Financial statement now an issue in
broker accreditation
THE Port Users Confederation (PUC) as well
as air and sea freight forwarders are seeking an audience
with Customs commissioner Napoleon Morales in the next two
weeks to thresh out problems involving renewal of customs
brokers’ accreditation at the Bureau of Customs (BOC).
Specifically, the group is questioning the requirement by
the Chamber of Customs Brokers, Inc. (CCBI) for a full-year
financial statement from customs brokers before issuing a
certificate of good standing. Such a certificate is a prerequisite
to BOC accreditation under Customs Administrative Order (CAO)
No 3-2006-A.
The CAO operationalizes Republic Act 9280 (Customs Broker
Act of 2004) at the BOC.
The CCBI is so far the only accredited professional organization
(APO) under the CAO.
A source who sits at the PUC Board and operates a brokerage
house claimed CCBI is presently refusing to issue certificates
unless brokers show a full-year individual financial statement.
But he said brokers employed by corporations do not have individual
statements, only the corporation’s W2 document (employee’s
certificate of compensation or taxes withheld filed on their
behalf by corporations).
ÒThe BOC should decide on the use of the financial
statement. The requirement is unreasonable and makes it impossible
for brokers of corporations to get accreditation from the
BOC despite recent rulings from the court maintaining status
quo at the BOC,Ó the source told PortCalls.
It may be recalled that the Professional Regulatory Board
for Customs Brokers has prohibited customs brokers from being
employed by corporations as this will impair their objectivity,
a position contested by the logistics group but championed
by the CCBI.
ÒWhy should CCBI be given this power to issue a certification
that prevails over the license issued by Professional Regulatory
Commission to practice the customs broker profession?Ó
the source lamented.
ÒThis requirement should be scrapped considering the
time constraints in the completion of all accreditation papers,Ó
he stressed.
The source claimed the problem will spill over to ecozone
transactions since the same BOC procedures are observed at
all ecozones nationwide.
But CCBI president Atty Jose Leabres told PortCalls, ÒThe
financial statement requirement is a documentary requirement
for customs brokers, without which CCBI will not issue the
certification of good standing. That certificate is a requisite
for accreditation at the BOC even with the MRTC (Manila regional
Trial Court) decision since it is not yet final and executory.Ó
Last year, the MRTC declared as invalid CAO 3-2006, the precursor
of CAO 3-2006-A.
RA 9280 enacted on March 30, 2004 regulates the practice of
the customs broker profession. It also prohibits corporate
practice of customs brokerage.
Section 29 of the law provides that the customs broker practice
is a professional service and as such, Òno firm, company,
or association may be registered or licensed as such for the
practice of customs broker professionÓ.
Section 28 also provides that no person shall practice or
offer to practice the profession, or use the title unless
one is a registered licensed customs broker.
CAO 3-2006-A, however, gave express authority to customs brokerage
corporations and freight forwarding firms to lodge customs
entries and/or use their employee-customs representatives
to transact business at the BOC.
The PUC is seeking a BOC decision on the issue of the financial
statement requirement before end of February as accreditation
proceedings cease end of March.
THE Association of International Shipping
Lines (AISL) with a membership of 44 international containerized
shipping lines recently held its annual election for the 2007
Board of Directors.
The new Board of Directors comprise Octavio Katigbak (K-Line),
Patrick Ronas (Tasman Orient), Agapito Capistrano (PEL/PIL),
Erik Nielsen (Maersk Line), Maurice Mckeating (APL), Klaus
Schroeder (Hapag Lloyd) and Jae Jang (Dongnama).
Elected president and vice president/treasurer were Octavio
Katigbak and Patrick Ronas, respectively. Katigbak has held
the position of president for the last six years.
AISL represents the collective voice of international shipping
lines operating in the Philippines.
THE Maritime Industry Authority (Marina)
is looking at issuing a memorandum circular that will limit
the maximum allowable load for all Philippine-flag vessels.
Marina said it is forced to decrease the loadline assignments
to avoid overloading and prevent tragic sea accidents such
as the sinking of MT Solar I last year which spilt some 220,000
gallons of black oil which endangered the coastal towns of
Guimaras province.
During the recent public hearing on the proposed memorandum
circular, Marina will impose the new loadline assignment on
all domestic and international vessels more than 15 meters
long.
ÒOnce implemented, no ships shall proceed to sea on
domestic or international trading unless it has been surveyed,
marked, and issued a Load Line Certificate by the Marina in
accordance with the rules and regulations,Ó Marina
said during the hearing.
Marina expects to implement the new load line assignment in
the next two to three months.
The circular exempts ships not longer than 15 meters, warships,
yachts and government ships not engaged in trade, and other
motor bancas with outrigger regardless of length.
Marina earlier planned to adopt the International Convention
on Load Lines 1966 on all Philippine-flag vessels.
ÒThe value of 200 millimeters in the Convention’s
tabular freeboard for 24 meters in length shall also be adopted
down to 15 meters in length,Ó the circular said.
Load line assignment fees will range from P5,000 for the self-propelled
ships under 200 gross tons to P31,400 for over 15,000 gross
tons.
Penalties for operation or navigation of a vessel with an
invalid load line certificate ranges from P1,000 to P50,000
depending on the weight of the ship.
Marina will also cancel the loadline certificate if a vessel’s
load line marks were found to have been tampered.
THE Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA)
has reported a 31% increase in 2006 revenues derived from
government duties and taxes.
Latest SBMA data showed that the agency posted P4.5 billion
in revenues in 2006 or P1 billion more than the 2005 figure.
SBMA administrator Armand Arreza said total revenues derived
from duties and taxes generated by the Bureau of Customs (BOC)
and the Bureau of Internal Revenue amounted to P4.45 billion,
surpassing 2005’s P3.4-billion profits.
Subic Revenue District Officer Ed Tolentino, in the same document,
said the P1.12 billion it collected came from withholding
taxes of 62,000 freeport workers, 5% gross tax of Freeport-registered
enterprises, and other receipts.
Tolentino added the 2006 collection surpassed by 18% the previous
year’s revenue of P950 million.
The BOC reported that the agency collected P3.33 billion in
2006 from payments of Customs tariffs and duties. The figure
is 36% more than the previous year’s P2.45 billion.
The positive revenue collection of BOC-Subic was attributed
to the effective campaign of Task Force Subic, the govern-ment’s
anti-smuggling arm.
INTERNATIONAL Container Terminal Services, Inc.
(ICTSI) recently boosted the cargo-handling capacity of its
Madagascar Terminal.
Madagascar International Container Terminal Services Limited
(MICTSL), a subsidiary of ICTSI, introduced a new mobile crane,
which has boosted quayside handling power of its Toamasina
container terminal.
MICTSI chief executive Christian Gonzales said the new machine
will help the company achieve consistency of operations and
continue to reduce overall working times. ÒIt is important
to point out in this context that since our takeover many
of the back-up systems that exert a strong influence over
the conduct of maritime trade have also been positively addressed.
Similarly, shipping lines are now the beneficiaries of more
and more information via EDI. All of these developments represent
important steps, and reflect the positive coordination of
the planning initiatives between ourselves, the port authority,
Customs and all involved parties,Ó he explained.
The commissioning of the Gottwald heavy-duty mobile crane
at the Toamasina container terminal represents a key step
in MICTSL’s plans to upgrade both quayside container
handling power and berth coverage. MICTSL also acquired a
Bromma twin-lift spreader, able to lift two 20-footer containers
simultaneously each weighing up to 25 tons.
