Visakhapatnam Custom House - Extension of facility of Direct Port Delivery to the AEO clients - Customs - PUBLIC NOTICE NO. 01/2018

OFFICE OF THE PRINCIPAL COMMISSIONER OF CUSTOMS CUSTOM HOUSE: PORT AREA: VISAKHAPATNAM 530035 P3/06/2017-A.M. (Pt.1) Dated: 11.01.2018 PUBLIC NOTICE NO. 01/2018 Sub: -Visakhapatnam Custom House - Extension of facility of Direct Port Delivery to the AEO clients reg. ***** Attention of the Importers, Exporters and Other Trading Public is invited to the Public Notice No. 23/2016 dated 18.10.2016, wherein Revised Guidelines for review of entity based facilitation programmes viz. Accredited Client Programme (ACP) and Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) programme conveyed by the Central Board of Excise Customs were conveyed. 2. In order to reduce dwell time and costs associated with imports, Visakhapatnam Custom House would be extending Direct Port Delivery (DPD) facility to the AEO Clients subject to the following conditions: 3. IMPORTERS / CUSTOMS BROKERS / AUTHORISED PERSONS: a. The Direct Port Delivery (DPD) will be available only to Full Cargo Load (FCL) containers covered by RMS facilitated bills of entry where no assessment or no examination or where no examination is prescribed by the System. b. In order to avail the DPD facility, the designated importers will have to file advance bill of entry, pay the Customs duty and other charges, if any, in advance, obtain the delivery order also in advance and be in readiness to take delivery immediately on arrival of the vessel. The Shipping Lines / Shipping Agents are required to ensure that they raise the invoice in advance and issue Delivery orders (Preferably in electronic form) in advance so that there is no delay in clearance from the Port after arrival of the cargo in to port area. c. As a measure of trade facilitation and Ease of doing business, a DPD Wing has been created at Custom House, Visakhapatnam which is headed by the Asst. Commissioner (Docks) and supported by the Appraiser (Docks), and would be functioning from Room No. 109, 1st Floor, Custom House, Visakhapatnam. d. After payment of duty and upon arrival of the vessel, importers or their agents should approach the DPD wing of the Custom House for obtaining out of charge for the DPD Bills of entry. In case of facilitated bills of entry eligible for DPD facility, as soon as the Importer / Customs Broker or Authorized person produces /submits the requisite documents before the Appraiser posted at DPD wing, the concerned officer will register the bill of entry, scrutinize the documents and after being satisfied on the correctness of payment of applicable customs duties and compliance of CCR instructions etc, will give out of charge with a condition that verification of container No and seal no to be carried out by Officers posted in the Container Terminal. The requirement to check container no. and seal no by the Gate officer would be mentioned by the OOC Officer in the Bill of entry. e. A copy of Out of charge (OOC) shall be granted in printed form and signed by the concerned Appraiser with name and designation stamp and copy handed over to importer / CB or Authorized person. The documents submitted during the Registration of Bill of entry should be retained and sent to Post Audit / Internal Audit depending on the system instructions. f. The Gate Officer posted will check Container no. and seal no. at the time of passing the containers from Terminal. If a variation is found in the container no or seal no or if the seal is found to be tampered with, this should be immediately brought to the notice of the Asst. Commissioner, DPD wing for suitable action. g. Some consignments can be selected for examination either on random basis or based on intelligence. The number and percentage of such containers will be decided by the Additional Commissioner having charge of DPD wing. Similarly, containers requiring examination by SIIB or other agencies like DRI based on intelligence would be moved to CFS by the importers. h. In respect of DPD containers, importers have to evacuate all the containers within 72 hours of landing in the Container Terminal. If containers are not taken delivery within 72 hours of landing, the containers of that lot will be transferred by the Container Terminal to CFS at the cost of importer / shipping line and clearance will be affected from the CFS as per normal procedure. i. Damaged containers or those with tampered seals will not be allowed DPD. These containers will be transferred to the CFSs for clearance under normal procedure. 4. SHIPPING LINE / SHIPPING AGENTS: Shipping Lines or agents, while filing the IGM shall clearly indicate at the time of filing of the IGM the fact of the subject importer being eligible for DPD facility and will be manifested as destination (CY) of Port Terminal. They should give intimation of arrival of the vessel and give delivery orders to the importers well in advance for taking DPD immediately after grant of Entry Inwards. 5. CONTAINER TERMINALS: On the basis of DPD permission granted by the Customs, the Container Terminal should ensure that approval / intimation of commencement of DPD is also communicated to the importers within 3 days. The Container Terminal is required to provide specifically earmarked space in their yard to keep containers belonging to approved importers of DPD so as to facilitate logistics relating to expeditious clearance. The importer shall be responsible for intimating the list / job order of containers to be cleared under DPD to the Container terminal directly or through the Shipping Line, will before the arrival of the vessel, to enable the Container Terminal to place the containers in the space earmarked for DPD. 6. This Public Notice shall come into force with effect from 20.01.2018. The importers availing the DPD facility shall submit a monthly report to the Additional Commissioner giving details in the prescribed proforma set out as Annexure A to this Notice. In case of any difficulty, the specific issue may be brought to the notice of the Additional Commissioner for remedial action. 7. DPD Facility is being extended to the said importers on the basis of their Status, volume of transactions and on the basis of assessment made by this Office regarding their ability to comply with the conditions as specified above. However, the Custom House reserves its right to further extend this facility to other importers / withdraw the facility at any time in case of failure for adherence to conditions of any violations noticed. 8. Any difficulties experienced in this regard may be brought to the notice of the undersigned immediately (Dr. D. K. SRINIVAS) (COMMISSIONER OF CUSTOMS)