Up to 9,211 imported scrap containers had still been left at Vietnamese ports by the end of June this year with nearly half being stuck there for more than 90 days, the General Department of Customs reported.

Up to 9,211 imported scrap containers had still been left
at Vietnamese ports by the end of June this year

The highest number of unclaimed scrap containers focus on ports in the southern provinces of Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Haiphong and HCM City.

To improve the situation, the Ministry of Finance has proposed Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc solutions to handle the scrap containers that have long been abandoned at local ports.

Under the ministry’s recommendation, a council in charge of the work should be set up.

According to the ministry, containers that meet environmental standards need to be auctioned and shipping companies have to transport them out of Vietnam.

Thirty days from the date of receiving the notice from customs units, if the shipping firms have not moved the scrap out of the country, the council would discard the scrap, using funds earned from the auctioned items to pay for the disposal.

Customs agencies will make a list of firms failing to transport the scrap and petition the Ministry of Transport to adopt relevant rules or ban them from operating at local ports.

Last year, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc ordered a temporary stop to scrap imports following a sharp rise surge in imports in the first six months of the year after China banned imports of certain wastes.