Complaints about new customs service starts

Complaints about new customs service starts

JAKARTA (JP): Businesspeole are complaining that container
freight flows through Tanjung Perak port in Surabaya, East Java,
and Tanjung Priok port in Jakarta are being hindered by slow
customs clearance.

"Since the restoration of the customs inspection service on
April 1, cargo flows through our ports have become much slower,
resulting in higher handling and storage costs," said Tarjono, a
spokesman for state-owned port management company PT Pelabuhan
III.

"We don't want to be blamed by shippers or carriers for the
slower freight loading and unloading operations when the main
reason has been inadequate customs clearance."

Tarjono said he could understand there would be initial delays
as the customs service had only just regained its inspection
authority. It replaces the preshipment inspection system of
imports which was introduced in 1985.

"But this problem should be solved soon, otherwise congestion
may threaten the Tanjung Perak port," he added.

He said Tanjung Perak handled 800 to 1,200 containers of
imports a day.

Tarjono blamed the slow customs clearance partly on the large
volume of imports which had to go through the red lane, meaning
they had to be physically inspected by customs officials.

"Ideally, only 10 percent of import consignments should go
through the red lane. But at Tanjung Perak port, 46 percent of
the consignments have to be inspected," Tarjono was quoted by
Antara as saying.

Bisnis Indonesia newspaper quoted a customs broker at Tanjung
Priok port as complaining that customs clearance procedures
through the customs' electronic data interchange (EDI) system
took between two and five days, much longer than the four hours
promised by customs last month.

However customs officials argued that the slow clearance was
caused by differences between the data as stipulated in the cargo
manifests and those in the customs declaration forms.

The newspaper quoted several shippers and customs brokers, who
insisted on anonymity, as cautioning that the slow customs
clearance, if not expedited, could soon cause major congestion at
the port.

"The customs service ran smoothly only during the first week
and after that everything seemed to go very slowly," one
businessman said.

Several customs brokers were quoted by the newspapers as
disclosing that customs clearance could be completed in two days
only if they bribed customs officials.

"Without bribes, the process takes up to five days," a customs
broker complained.

Another importer said he submitted his customs declaration
forms on a diskette (to be processed at the EDI system) on April
16 but only obtained customs clearance on April 21.

"Lack of data processing equipment and competent EDI system
operators also contribute to the slow customs clearance," the
importer said. (vin)