Streamlined & simplified customs procedures for supply of fuel (bunkering), ship stores, provisions and fresh water to vessels at Cochin Port - Customs - 17/2013

OFFICE OF THE COMMISSIONER OF CUSTOMS CUSTOM HOUSE, COCHIN- 682009 Tel: 0484-2668068/2668390. PBX: 0484-2666861 to 6864. Fax: 0484-2668468. F.No. S.31/171/2012-Prev Cus Dated: 23.05.2013 TRADE FACILITY No. 17 /2013 Sub: Streamlined simplified customs procedures for supply of fuel (bunkering), ship stores, provisions and fresh water to vessels at Cochin Port ---------------------------------------------- Consequent to Circular No. DC/IGTPL/bunk/2011 dated 29-9-2012 issued by Cochin Port Trust promoting Cochin Port as a Bunkering Port and as per request received from M/s BPCL and other stakeholders, following revised customs procedures are introduced with immediate effect at Cochin Port to streamline the procedures involved in the supply of fuel, ship stores, provisions and fresh water to vessels on foreign run. The new procedure shall be operative on 24x7 basis including holidays. 2. As per the new procedure, the Shipping Bills relating to Bunkers/Ship Stores/Provision Fresh Water shall be filed manually at the Customs Office at Ernakulam Wharf Gate. The Exporters/CHAs or their authorized representatives shall submit a written request to Deputy Commissioner/Assistant Commissioner (Prev.) for accepting the manual shipping bills during all working days and to Supdt. of Customs (Ekm. Wharf) at the Customs Office in Ernakulam Wharf Gate after office hours and during holidays, all subject to ex-post facto approval of Commissioner. They shall give an undertaking with details like name of exporter, CHA, description of goods, quantity, value, vessel s name etc. that they shall complete/regularize all the required procedures at Custom House on the next working day after the completion of bunkering/supply of stores/provisions and/or water. The said Deputy Commissioner/Assistant Commissioner (Prev.) or SC (EW), as the case may be, shall then accept the manual shipping bills in Customs office at Ernakulam wharf based on the request submitted by the applicant. 3. The concerned Exporter/CHA/authorized representative shall present the said letter of acceptance along with the Manual Shipping Bill to the Preventive Officer at Ernakulam Wharf Gate Office. The Gate Officer shall enter the details of shipping bill in a register maintained for this purpose in the following format:- Sl.No., Shipping Bill No. with date, Exporter s Name, Name of CHA, Description of Goods, Quantity, Value, Vessel s Name, Signature of Customs Officer with date time and Remarks. 4. The Gate Officer shall, then, allot a number to the new shipping bill filed in the Gate and affix the office seal with his signature below that. Shipping Bills shall carry letters EW suffix to the allotted nos. in order to identify that the same are filed at Ernakulam Wharf Customs Gate Office. The running serial numbers shall be allotted on a monthly basis. Thereafter, the shipping bills and the other documents shall be presented to the concerned Supdt. (P) and Preventive Officer (Section Officer/On Board Officer/Officer deputed for this work) for further action such as for examination, let export order, allowed loading and thereafter, for endorsements. The services of such officers so deputed shall be subject to payment of applicable fees in terms of Customs (Fees for Rendering Services by Customs Officers) Regulations, 1998 wherever applicable. In the case of bunkering, the preventive officer shall endorse the shipping bill after verifying the acknowledgement received from the Master/Chief Mate of the vessel to which the bunkers have been supplied, exact quantity shipped on board on the basis of survey report/bunker delivery report duly signed by the exporter/CHA. Thereafter the concerned exporter, CHA/authorized representative shall regularize/complete the required customs formalities at the Custom House during the next working day after shipment, as undertaken by them. Any violation/failure to do so as per the said undertaking by the exporter/CHA or their authorized representative, shall subject them to penal action as prescribed under the Customs Act, 1962 in addition to withdrawal of the right to utilize the facility extended in this regard. 5. At the beginning of every month, the Preventive Officer posted at Ernakulam Wharf Gate Office, shall forward the manual shipping bill register pertaining to previous month to I B through SC (G) and shall open a new register for this purpose. I B Section shall verify the register with the regularization requests received for such exports. Any violation of this procedure shall be brought to the notice of the Asst. Commissioner/Dy. Commissioner (I B) immediately. 6. In case the Manual Shipping Bill for supply of bunkers/stores is under claim for any export incentives or involve any duty/cess, the above procedure shall be modified to the extent that the said Shipping Bill has to be filed in advance in Group VII (Export Section) in the Custom House and the same has to be assessed in the usual manner. In case, the bunkering is from a customs bonded tank, examination, let export order and allowed loading shall be given by Supdt. (P)/Preventive Officer in Bonds Section as per the existing practice and the endorsements, thereafter, shall be done by the concerned Preventive Officer. 7. Exporters can also avail the facility of supplying the bunker fuel from Central Excise Bonded Storage tanks/barges/vessels etc. subject to the concurrence of Central Excise Authorities. In such cases, the exporters shall have the option to supply to multiple vessels that are within Indian Customs Waters and are not necessarily berthed at the Port of Cochin. They shall produce necessary clearance documents from the jurisdictional Central Excise Authorities along with the Shipping Bills and Vessel Advice of the vessel (available with the Steamer Agents) to which the bunker fuel is to be supplied. If any illegal activity is suspected in the matter, the same shall be referred to SC (SIIB) for appropriate action and in those cases, further action shall be initiated only with the clearance of SC (SIIB). Endorsements of such shipping bills shall be done by the Preventive Officer as prescribed in para 4 of this Trade Facility, after verifying the acknowledgement received from the Master/Chief Mate of the vessel to which the bunkers have been supplied, exact quantity shipped on board each vessel on the basis of survey report/bunker delivery report duly signed by the exporter/CHA. 8. Existing instructions in the matter stands modified to the above extent. Difficulties, if any, on implementation of the above, shall be brought to the notice of the undersigned. (K. N. RAGHAVAN) COMMISSIONER OF CUSTOMS