Customs control the import of scrap materials with modern inspection equipment

Mobile inspection station is carrying out its mission at Hai Phong port on August 3rd. Picture: Ngoc Linh.

Initial Effectiveness

According to statistics, there are about 20% of containers containing paper scraps and 80% of containers that are plastic scraps and other scraps left at seaports. The amount of rubbish left in these ports poses a threat to Vietnam’s environment, causing costs to departmental budgets when they are forced to destroy garbage containers with no owner.

Prior to that problem, the Customs has deployed many solutions such as operating new functions on the IT system to track and analyze the goods before ship entry by reviewing and analyzing key points on the online monitoring system. For goods at ports, the application of modern machines for sample analysis and verification at the border gate ...

One of the solutions is the introduction of inspection equipment to sample the goods at the port to assist the local customs departments to effectively implement the direction of the General Department of Customs in Official Letter 4202 / TCHQ-PC. July 17, 2018, on the management of scrap imports from abroad into Vietnam.

Talking to reporters, Mr. Do Van Quang, Director General of Customs Inspection Department (General Department of Customs), said that the unit has granted 4 mobile inspection stations (vehicles), in which they are equipped with modern service analysis technology for customs inspections. Immediately after the direction of the General Department of Customs, the unit has put the mobile inspection stations directly sampling, inspecting on the spot steel batches, imported scraps and resins in Hai Phong and Ha Tinh. Mobile inspection stations consist of fixed laboratory equipment. However, these devices are equipped in a van and can maneuver for helping to facilitate access to the field, allowing faster inspection times. In addition, there are some analytical equipment that only needs to direct a hand-held probe into a shipment that is to be inspected without destroying it by sawing or cutting.

During the extraordinary inspection of 2 batches of iron and steel scrap, and 1 batch of plastic resins imported by businessman as materials for production in Hai Phong on August 3, the Customs Inspection Department put the mobile inspection station close to containers for sampling, and on-the-spot results have been highly appreciated by businesses and stakeholders for their efficiency and practicality for sampling.

In order to test the types of iron and steel scrap in the cargo container, the Customs Inspection Department used a specimen surface radioactivity meter for chemical composition meter of iron, etc. If the specimen does not meet the permitted standards, this machine sends a warning signal.

According to Do Van Quang, only three groups with national technical standards on the environment will be inspected on 31: 2010 / BTNMT for plastics, and for paper group in accordance with standard 33: 2010 / BTNMT. “To test these three categories, the Customs Department has tried to equip a number of hand-helds and quick gauges to serve the relative technical requirements for standards’ compliance. Specifically, the iron composition meter will check surface radiation, and thanks to the device’s accuracy, it can precisely determine the type of imported iron, whether it is iron or an alloy ..., so that the comparison to the standard meets the import regulations or not.

For plastics, tests will also classify and give many other indicators, Similarly, paper will be also checked for type and relative humidity, ... to match the standard.

However, for hazardous wastes, mobile testers only provide initial analysis results, which will then be verified by in-depth analysis. In fact, there are a number of toxic analyzers on the mobile inspection station. However, power supply is only supported for a certain period of time, whereas for analyzing hazardous wastes it takes longer. Therefore, to ensure a proper detailed analysis it will have to be done in the laboratory,” said Do Van Quang.

Since July 17, 2018, after the General Department of Customs issued Official Letter 4202 / TCHQ-PC, the Customs Department has directly inspected 1,914 lots and produced 1,901 lots. There are still 13 consignments being processed by the customs inspection department to produce the earliest results.

Officials of the Customs Inspection Department use surface radiation measuring machines to check for iron and steel scrap. Picture: Ngoc Linh.

Official letter 4202 / TCHQ-PC of the General Department of Customs sent to the customs department in provinces and cities is an urgent solution to strengthen and tighten scrap importation in the context of thousands of waste containers in stock at sea ports. The customs office confirms that the actual inspection of the goods is carried out at the customs office at the import border gate as stipulated in Clause 4, Article 10 of the Circular No. 41/2015 / TT-BTNMT of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

Accordingly, the actual inspection time of goods with the naked eye and the equipment at the site shall not exceed 8 working hours from the time when the customs declarers fully present the goods; in cases where goods are in large quantity, with many types or requiring complicated inspections, the actual inspection time shall not exceed 2 working days.

In addition, if a field inspection fails to identify the imported scrap waste in compliance with the provisions of the customs legislation and the environmental protection law, the border-gate customs sub-department and the coordinating customs inspection sub-department are to perform a representative sampling of shipments for analytical evaluations.

The actual inspection and sampling will also be closely supervised by a customs officer, recording the whole inspection process, sampling from the beginning when the container is opened (for containers), by checking the bulk cargo first, and then inspection and sampling at the end.

In parallel with modern control solutions at border gates, the Customs Department is proposing to related ministries to urgently review scrap importers. At the same time, the General Department of Customs has instructed the units to complete the report to the Ministry of Finance to propose to the Prime Minister solutions to overcome the limitations and loopholes in the regime and policies for management of goods as soon as possible. Scrap imports; Import licenses shall not be granted to these commodities on the basis state management assessment of import scraps (including used plastic packages and plastics ...) and the import situation for current scrap items.