Transhipment of Cargo - CBEC's Customs Manual 2023 - Customs

Chapter 10: Transhipment of Cargo 1. Introduction: 1.1 A number of ports, airports, Inland Container Depots (ICD), Container Freight Stations (CFS) having Customs clearance facilities have been developed in the country to reduce congestion at the gateway ports/airports and to allow importers and exporters to take Customs clearance of imported and export goods at their doorsteps. The objectives of bringing the Customs facility to doorstep of importing community and decongesting the gateway ports/ airports requires the movement of imported cargo or export cargo between a port/airport and other ports/airports, /CDs/CFSs in India or a port/airport abroad. 1.2 As per the Customs Act, 1962 duty becomes payable immediately after imported goods are landed at a port or airport. To avoid payment of duty at the port of landing in cases where goods are to be carried to another port/airport or ICD/CFS or to a port/ airport abroad, the Customs Act, 1962 provides a facility of transshipment of cargo without payment of duty. The goods can be transshipped from one port/airport to another port/airport/ICD/CFS either by vessel, air, rail or road or by combination of more than one such mode of transport. 1.3 The procedure for transshipment provided in Section 54 of the Customs Act, 1962 is applicable for imported cargo only. The imported cargo unloaded at a port is allowed to be transshipped to another port/ICD/CFS or a port abroad, if the cargo is mentioned in the import manifest for such transshipment. In regard to export cargo cleared from a port/ACC or ICD/CFS and exported through some gateway port/airport, a similar procedure is being followed to allow carriage of Customs cleared export cargo from port/airport/ICD/CFSs to another port/airport.