Board Announces
Four Procedural Shipping Simplifications from Customs Side
[CBEC Circular No. 02 dated
15th January 2015]
Subject: Simplification of Customs procedures
for shipping.
The avoidable delays on
account of non-uniform Customs procedures adopted at some ports/Customs stations
not only increase transaction cost and time of clearance but also prove to be
major constraints in making Indian ports international transshipment hubs.
Therefore, a Committee was set up by Ministry of Shipping for simplification of
shipping related Customs procedures. The Committee has made, interalia, certain recommendations for
implementation by Customs:
2. Board has examined the recommendations of the said Committee in
consultation with identified Chief Commissioners of Customs. Accordingly, the
following decisions have been taken to streamline the extant procedures at
various ports:
(i) It is reported that the number of hard copies of Import General
Manifest (IGM) filed by shipping lines / steamer agents varies from 2 to 6 at
various ports. Board, has noted that the Customs is already receiving the IGM
electronically as well. The requirement of large number of hard copies of this
document leads to unnecessary escalation of compliance cost. Therefore, taking
into account the requirement of Customs as well the fact that an electronic
version of IGM is already available, Board has decided that henceforth the
number of hard copes of IGM required to be submitted by shipping lines /
steamer agents at a Customs House shall be restricted to 2 (two) only.
(ii) The port clearance requires submission of numerous documents on
behalf of other agencies – Lighthouse Dues Certificate, NOC for Immigration,
Port Health Certificate etc. At present, the port clearance is given on the
strength of a bond and a guarantee which are given each time a vessel enters.
As a measure of simplification, Board has decided to give an option to the
steamer agent to (a) give a continuity bond and (b) merge the guarantee with
the continuity bond. This would reduce
the number required documents from 2 (two) to 1 (one) and periodicity (of submission) would also get reduced
drastically.
(iii) Reportedly, in case of transshipped cargo,
shipping lines send multiple hard copies of ‘Sub Manifest Transhipment Permit’
(SMTP) to the destination ICD despite the same also being transmitted
electronically. However, there may be situations warranting hard copy of the
document such as when amendments have to be made. Recognizing the need for
reducing number of copies of SMTP, Board has decided that only 1 (one) copy of SMTP would be
sufficient and Customs at ICD should not insist on more number of hard copies
of SMTP.
(iv) Currently, separate permissions are required whenever the mode of
transport of transhipment containers changes from train to road or vice versa.
The view is that this may be dispensed with since the carrier has already
executed a bond for safe carriage of the goods to the destination port / ICD.
With a view to boost inter-modal transportation of transshipped cargo and
simply procedure, Board has decided that henceforth no separate permission is
required from jurisdictional Customs in case of change of mode of transshipment
under the Goods Imported (Conditions of Transhipment) Regulations, 1995.
However, the carrier is required to intimate the change to the jurisdictional
Commissioner of Customs who will ensure the bond covers both modes of
transport.
3. Chief Commissioners of Customs/Customs and Central Excise are
requested to ensure that the aforementioned decisions are complied with
strictly by field formations in their jurisdiction. Suitable Trade notice/
Public Notice may also be issued for guidance of trade and staff.
4. Difficulty, faced if any, may be brought to the notice of the
Board.
F. No. 450/221/2014-Cus IV