With a relatively large amount of imported backlogged goods exceeding 90 days at HCM City's seaports, HCM City Customs Department is continuing to speed up processing, avoiding the costs of storage, demurrage and taking empty containers for containerising to export goods.

Imported scraps via Cat Lai port. Photo: T.H

The majority of backlogged goods is abandoned articles

During social distancing at HCM City, the council of handling backlogged goods of Saigon port area 1 Customs Branch was still diligently conducting stock checks and classifying backlogged goods at the port.

According to Nguyen Thanh Long, Deputy Manager of the Saigon Port Area 1 Customs Branch, Vice Chairman of the Council of handling backlogged goods, the team would carry out within one month, conducting stock checks in detail and classifying for more than 700 containers of backlogged goods that had been notified by the Saigon Port Area 1 Customs Branch to find the owner but no one came to receive them. These cargo containers would be opened for inspection, making a detailed list and proposing a treatment plan. It is known that backlogged goods in this time mainly consumer goods, fabrics and sewing accessories; chemicals, fertilisers, household goods, foods.

Besides these goods, more than 100 containers of imported goods backlogged at Cat Lai port have expired for 90 days but the goods owner did not come to receive them. Saigon port area 1 Customs Branch made an announcement to find the owners of these shipments. These goods arrived at Cat Lai, Hiep Phuoc and Phu Huu ports from 2020. As of April 2021, the time limit of 90 days has been exceeded but the goods owner has not implemented customs procedures yet. Goods contained in containers are consumer goods of all kinds, scraps, wood.

According to the Saigon port area 1 Customs Branch, to handle the backlogged goods, this unit has notified relevant organisations and individuals about the backlogged goods and if the time limit of 60 days for receiving goods is overdue since the date of issuing first notification (for perishable goods, frozen goods, dangerous and toxic chemicals, or goods with less than 60 days of expiry date, the time limit for people to receive goods is 15 days) and for organisations and individuals that do not come to carry out customs procedures, the Saigon port area 1 Customs Branch will handle these shipments in accordance with the provisions of Circular 203/2014/TT-BTC.

Completely handle backlogged scraps

Following the direction of the General Department of Vietnam Customs, HCM City Customs Department has implemented the guidance documents of the General Department of Vietnam Customs. For a total of 736 containers of backlogged goods that are classified as scrap ineligible for import, HCM City Customs Department has implemented in accordance with the guidance of the General Department of Vietnam Customs in Official Dispatch No. 1783/TCHQ-GSQL dated April 14, 2021. Director of HCM City Customs Department directed Customs Supervision Division to work with the Saigon Port Area 1 Customs Branch in reporting the progress of handling including which stages are stuck, and which units have not yet implemented as well as the estimated time limit for handling these scrap containers.

For the 432 containers of backlogged goods that are eligible scrap, HCM City Customs Department is carrying out procedures to establish ownership and hire an auction organisation in accordance with the regulations and guidance from the General Department of Vietnam Customs; for 364 containers locked and subjected to key supervision of the authorities, HCM City Customs Department has directed the Saigon port area 1 Customs Branch to review and report in detail the dossier of each container; notify to invite the Port Authority, unit operating port business, shipping lines and competent forces to work. It is recommended to move all backlogged goods to a separate storage area to ensure key monitoring and control and at the same time, develop a plan to completely handle each case for port clearance; for 138 containers of scrap (firms have opened declarations), Saigon port area 1 Customs Branch has announced to invite businesses to work for clarifying the contents related to the shipment and summise report for getting directions.

To completely solve the situation of backlogged scrap at seaports, avoiding the costs of storage, demurrage, and taking empty containers for containerising to export goods, HCM City Customs Department proposed to apply Point b, Clause 6 of Article 58 of Customs Law 2014 on requiring shipping lines to transport goods out of Vietnam's territory to the exporting country. If the shipping company cannot re-export, asking for destroying and bearing the cost of destruction, it should accept the destruction.

In the process of handling backlogged goods, HCM City Customs Department actively reports and proposes plans to handle problems to speed up the processing of handling backlogged goods. For example, a shipment of 19 containers of used machinery and equipment was imported to Saigon port area 3 for many years, but no one came to receive, HCM City Customs Department proposed a plan to force to re-export. According to the HCM City Customs Department, during the classification and checking of backlogged goods, the Saigon port area 3 Customs Branch discovered 19 containers of used machinery and equipment were still backlogged and no one came to receive them. To handle the above shipment, the Council of Handling Backlogged Goods at this port requested to conduct an inspection of the goods' names, uniformity, production year and the remaining quality of use of that machinery and equipment. However, inspection agencies refused to do so, with the reason that the shipment was packed in 19 containers including lots of machinery, equipment and accessories of all kinds without full labels and technical documents, which had been dismantled from production line and the goods were packed in many containers. This cargo had a large volume and size but vehicles and personnel at the port could not meet the requirements for inspection work. Pursuant to the provisions of Circular 203/2014/TT-BTC, HCM City Customs Department proposed a plan to notify the goods owner or shipping firm to take responsibility for transporting goods out of Vietnam.