Starting from 1 September, transport service stakeholders handling cargo at Singapore Port face increased operational challenges due to new customs regulations. The revised “free trade zone (FTZ) regime,” implemented in March 2024, requires advanced filing of export, import, and transshipment cargo information, reports Container News.
New rules
Under these rules, cargo interests must submit import cargo details for long-haul trades at least 12 hours before a vessel arrives at berth. For short-haul trades, submission must occur before the vessel departs from the port. Export cargo information must be filed within 24 hours after a vessel’s departure.
Non-compliance can result in significant penalties for ship agents, which could impact cargo owners. Singapore Customs will assess cases of missing, late, or inaccurate bill of lading (B/L) submissions individually to determine penalties. Failure to meet these requirements can lead to fines of up to SGD 10,000 or imprisonment for up to 12 months.
The introduction of time-specific compliance requirements is expected to challenge service providers due to the complexity of global supply chains and data management. This follows a similar but slow-implementing cargo manifest regime in New Delhi, the “Sea Cargo Manifest, and Transshipment [SCMT] Regulations 2018,” which mandates the advance submission of manifest data.
Despite multiple deadline extensions, the SCMT Regulations’ implementation is now targeted for 31 August, with ongoing efforts to address operational issues raised by industry groups like the Chennai and Ennore Ports Steamer Agents’ Association (CHENSAA).
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Source: Container News
