Unclaimed cargo pile up

 By GYNNIE KERO

FAILURE of importers to meet Customs requirements has resulted in the pile-up of cargo at the ports in addition to  lost revenue, PNG Customs Commissioner Ray Paul said.

He said Customs had realised the need to create awareness because the volume of cargo abandoned daily had been on the rise.

Paul said: “In recent years, there has been a massive increase in abandoned goods, which is a result of the ever-increasing trade. 

“This has placed PNG Customs in a very difficult situation, especially in dealing with the goods. 

“For example, at the Port Moresby wharf, identification of clearance status have to be done on more than 100 containers, more than 60 vehicles (both at the Port Moresby wharf and Motukea) and more than 230 break bulk cargo (goods taken from different containers and now packed into one big container). 

And that is just Port Moresby alone — the situation is similar at all the other major ports around the country, Paul said. 

Some factors which may contribute to the high number of abandoned goods include : 

n Importers not aware of the cargo import requirements such as appointing a Customs agent to clear the goods, the correct import duty to pay and other applicable charges imposed by National Agriculture and Quarantine Inspection Authority, PNG Ports Corporation and Customs broker fees; 

• Customs brokers, shipping agencies, importers not aware of their lawful obligations;
• Importers are unaware of their responsibilitiesand consequences if they fail to clear their goods on time;
• Storage accumulation due to the delay in the cargo flow chain, causing importers to abandon their cargo;
• Importers engaging unlicensed persons to clear their goods as they are unable to confirm the legitimacy of these persons (third party clearance); and
• Delays in cargo inspection, assessment and receipting or when the assessment  system is down. 

Recently, Customs carried out awareness in the dailies to educate importers, Customs brokers and shipping agents on the requirements they were to comply with when importing goods. 

“The advertisements were aimed at making sure stakeholders aware of their responsibilities and concurrently, understand the consequences of failing to adhere to the set procedures and requirements. 

“PNG Customs hopes that these awareness activities will ensure prompt cargo clearance, whilst maintaining manageable volumes of cargo,” Paul said.