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| Sunday, 21 July 2002 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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ACFA gets going on speedy cargo clearance The Association of Clearing and Forwarding Agents (ACFA) has got the Ceylon Association of Ship Agents (CASA) to comply with the Customs decision and issue import delivery orders early which will facilitate the early clearance of cargo. ACFA Chairman M. S. M. Niyas said they have requested the members to utilise this facility by obtaining shipping agents' delivery orders 48 hours prior to the arrival of ships and process documentation so that goods can be cleared on the day the vessel arrives. This will help clear the cargo expeditiously within the demurrage-free period of three days. If clearance takes place one day after the demurrage-free period, the entire time frame will be considered as the demurrage period, he added. "It will also give importers more breathing time to clear their cargo without getting into demurrage," said Niyas. Though the Customs approved the acceptance of import customs declaration two days to the date of arrival of a vessel a few months back, some shipping lines have not followed it, thereby delaying the early finalisation of customs and other documentation required for the release of the import cargo. Therefore, the ACFA has written to the CASA requesting the issue of delivery orders by agents prior to the arrival of a vessel. This will enable the trade to utilise the facility that the Sri Lanka Customs has given where members could pre-lodge customs declarations two days before the vessel arrives and facilitate trade, said Niyas. The CASA, after receiving conformation from Customs, has written to its membership that Customs would accept even a part manifest of a vessel 48 hours before the arrival of the vessel without waiting to submit the full manifest after the ship has arrived. The Customs has also agreed to accept the manifest portwise so that the manifest which would be available from the first few ports the vessel has loaded cargo could be submitted to the Customs well on time. This would enable consignees to process their papers early and clear the goods when discharged from the vessel on arrival. He said it is a great step in facilitating trade, which scope can be expanded "provided our trade members utilise this facility in the first instance". |
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