- The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has called for a second round of public feedback on proposed amendments to bunkering rules.
- SARS has not provided any clear timeline on when offshore bunkering operations might resume in Algoa Bay following their suspension last September due to a dispute over import duties on bunker barges.
- According to Trade Ocean, a shipping agent, SARS has not set any tentative dates for the resumption of offshore bunkering in Algoa Bay.
- The latest draft amendment introduces changes concerning the storage of imported bunker fuel, designating a special customs and excise storage warehouse specifically for the duty-suspended storage of imported bunker fuel.
Amid Algoa Bay Bunkering Delays
The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has requested a second round of public feedback on the proposed amendments to bunkering rules.
The authority has not provided any clarity on how soon bunkering could resume in Algoa Bay. Offshore bunkering has been suspended in Algoa Bay since last September when SARS detained bunker barges due to import duty disputes.
“SARS has not announced any tentative dates when offshore bunkering may resume in Algoa Bay,” shipping agent Trade Ocean said.
This is the second time that SARS has requested public feedback on the draft amendments. Previously, in December, SARS released amendments to bunkering rules and sought public comments by January. This sparked speculation about a potential offshore bunkering resumption in February.
Revised Storage Rules for Bunker Fuel
The new draft incorporates amendments to the rules regarding the storage of imported bunker fuel in special customs and excise storage warehouses. “The new warehouse type is now ring-fenced for duty-suspended warehousing of imported bunker fuel and is called a special customs and excise storage warehouse for imported bunker fuel,” the draft reads.
Interested parties can submit their comments on the new draft by 10 May.
There has been no update on when bunkering will resume in Algoa Bay, another source said, adding that the last public comment took three months for a response from SARS.
Since offshore bunkering came to a halt in Algoa Bay in September, bunker supply has been restricted to in-port deliveries by a supplier in Port Elizabeth. Bunkering in Port Elizabeth is currently only accessible via trucks.
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Source: engine.online
