BOC, AISL to fast track withdrawal of condemned shipments

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Image by MichaelGaida from Pixabay
Image by MichaelGaida from Pixabay

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) and Association of International Shipping Lines, Inc. (AISL) have agreed to create clear-cut procedures in the nomination of a condemnation contractor to help expedite withdrawal of condemned shipments from Manila ports.

The agreement was made in a recent meeting between the shipping line group and BOC, AISL general manager Atty. Maximino Cruz told PortCalls in an email.

Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero earlier wrote to AISL that the delay in withdrawal of cargoes for condemnation was being attributed to the “protracted” issuance by international shipping lines of the container release orders (CRO), Cruz said.

Based on reports by BOC deputy collectors at Manila International Container Port (MICP) and Port of Manila (POM), around 400 condemned containerized shipments at MICP and 200 at POM are awaiting withdrawal, Cruz added.

He said “AISL member lines gave various reasons behind the delay in the prompt issuance of CROs ranging from the excessive condemnation cost to the awarding of condemnation contractor.”

BOC and AISL agreed to create clear procedures in the nomination of condemnation contractor, as well as provide the timeline for selection of a condemnation contractor, Cruz said.

“The immediate disposal of condemned shipments forms part of the over-all action plan of the Bureau of Customs to rid the terminals of overstating cargoes,” Cruz pointed out.

Condemnation or destruction is one of the ways that seized or abandoned containers are disposed of, and BOC had earlier issued several orders to expedite disposition of overstaying cargoes to free up space at the ports.

Guerrero, in Office of the Commissioner Memo No. 161-2020 dated August 7, has directed district collectors to examine all overstaying shipments in their collection districts.

When examination shows that everything is in order, the corresponding decree of abandonment should be issued upon compliance with the requirements of the law, Guerrero said.

A warrant of seizure and detention should be issued, however, if there is probable cause for any violation of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act and other relevant laws.

READ: Hasten sale of overstaying containers, foreign lines in PH press BOC

AISL in previous years has also asked BOC to speed up auction and abandonment procedures so carriers’ containers could be reused or repositioned in other areas. – Roumina Pablo