Subject: Removal of goods from a Customs Station-instructions regarding affixation of one-time-lock, movement of ISO Tank Container from Customs Station to Warehouse under Customs Punch Seal - Customs - 11/2018

OFFICE OF THE COMMISSIONER OF CUSTOMS (NHAVA SHEVA-III) JAWAHARLAL NEHRU CUSTOM HOUSE, NHAVA SHEVA, URAN, RAIGAD, MAHARASHTRA 400 707 F. No. S/6-Gen-15262/17-18/Bond/JNCH Date: 19.01.2018 PUBLIC NOTICE No. 11/2018 Subject: Removal of goods from a Customs Station-instructions regarding affixation of one-time-lock, movement of ISO Tank Container from Customs Station to Warehouse under Customs Punch Seal Attention of all Custom House Agents, Exporters, Importers, Members of the Trade and other stake holders is invited to the Board s Circular No.17 / 2016-Customs dated 14.05.16 on the above mentioned subject. 2. The Warehouse (Custody Handling of Goods) Regulations, 2016 and the Special Warehouse (Custody Handling of Goods) Regulations, 2016 were notified under notification no. 68 /16-Cus (NT) dated 14th May 2016 and no.69 / 16-Cus (NT) dated 14th May 2016 respectively. The regulations prescribe the procedure to be followed by the licensee or bond officer, as the case may be, to permit deposit of the goods into a warehouse. The regulations require that goods arriving at the warehouse from a customs station shall be affixed with a one-time-lock (bottle seal) with its serial number endorsed upon the bill of entry for warehousing and the transport document. The warehouse keeper or bond officer, as the case may be, is required to inspect the seal and when it is found intact, permit the goods to be unloaded at the warehouse. 3. However, in the case of ISO Tank Containers, at present, affixation of OTL is not possible as existing bottle seals doesn t fit. Therefore, all importers who import goods in ISO tank containers have been individually approaching the Commissioner of Customs, NS-III for relaxation of the above requirement of affixation of OTL and request for sealing the tank containers with a punch seal. 4. In order to reduce the dwell time and difficulties faced by the trade, it has now been decided that all Tank Containers that do not have provision to affix Customs Bottle Seals are hereby allowed to use Customs Punch Seal during movement of such ISO Tank Containers from Customs Station to Customs Warehouse. 5. However, the following safeguards have to be adhered to by all warehouse keepers, who receive such ISO tank containers affixed with Customs Punch Seal from the Customs station to the Bonded warehouse. i. At the time of receipt of said ISO tank container as Warehouse, the Custodian of the bonded warehouse should take a photograph of Customs Punch Seal and /Shipper Seal available on the container and also covering container number to ensure that the seal is intact and not tampered with. The said photograph should contain date and time stamp also so as to verify the time of taking such photograph. ii. The custodian of the warehouse will then forward this picture via email to Bond Section ([email protected]) for verification as well as to maintain a copy for their record. 6. As and when suitable bottle seals are available, which can be affixed in ISO Tank Containers, aforesaid procedure would be modified. 7. In case of any difficulty, the specific issue may be brought to the notice of Deputy/Assistant Commissioner in charge of Bond Section, NS-III (email address: ([email protected]) or Deputy/Assistant Commissioner in charge of Appraising Main (Import), NS-III (email address: [email protected] ) 8. Action to be taken in terms of decisions taken in this Public Notice should be considered as standing order for the purpose of officers and staff. Sd/- (SUBHASH AGRAWAL) Commissioner of Customs (NS-III).