In recent months, a number of transportation safety incidents caused by dangerous goods have occurred in the logistics industry, resulting in frequent shipping accidents and a number of ships experiencing fires. Nonetheless, Customs has continued to detect cases of concealment and entrapment of dangerous goods, and some cargo owners and forwarders are still taking chances and risking illegal operations.
According to the latest information released by the Customs, recently, during the inspection of exported goods in Xiamen, Ningbo, Guangzhou and other places, the Customs has seized a number of cases of concealment and entrapment of fireworks, involving a total of nearly 60 tons of goods. At present, all these illegal goods have been transferred to the relevant departments for further processing.
Xiamen Customs seizes 16 tons of falsely declared fireworks
A few days ago, Xiamen Customs staff in the declaration of a number of "ceramic sealing cans" goods for on-site inspection, found that the container internal situation is inconsistent with the declaration. In addition to the container door stacked a small number of aviation plastic cups, most of the internal space is occupied by fireworks, with a total weight of 16 tons.
It should be particularly emphasized that fireworks are included in Class 1 of the Dangerous Goods List as dangerous goods (explosives). The State has strict regulations on the transportation and storage of such products, which must be exported in special packaging that meets safety standards. The export of fireworks by illegal means, such as concealment, falsification or concealment, not only violates the regulations, but also poses a major safety hazard.
Ningbo Customs seized two consecutive cases of illegal export of fireworks and firecrackers.
Recently, when inspecting a batch of goods declared as "shower gel, shampoo, pencils, holiday goods", the staff of Beilun Customs under Ningbo Customs found that a large amount of undeclared fireworks and firecrackers were hidden in the container, which were suspected of evading the supervision of Customs. Upon inspection, the fireworks belonged to Class 1 of the Dangerous Goods List, with a total weight of 14.3 tons.
In addition, Meishan Customs under Ningbo Customs, in another case, when inspecting the goods declared as "trolley cases and accessories", similarly found that, except for a small amount of sealed goods at the door in conformity with the declaration, the rest of the containers were fireworks and firecrackers products. This batch of non-compliant goods are packed in ordinary cartons and plastic woven bags, which do not meet the standards for the transportation of dangerous goods at all, with a total weight of 12.68 tons.
Guangzhou Customs Seizes 15 Tons of Undeclared Fireworks
In Guangzhou, Nansha Customs staff recently declared a batch of "carpet, webbing" export goods for routine inspection, found that the entire container is actually loaded with all the fireworks not declared to the Customs, weighing 15 tons. It is worth noting that fireworks are not only legal inspection commodities, but also belong to the "Dangerous Goods List" in the first category of dangerous goods.
The State has established strict regulations on the transportation and storage of dangerous goods such as fireworks and firecrackers, and the export of such goods by illegal means such as concealment, falsification or entrapment poses a serious threat to transportation safety. The Customs Department has adopted a zero-tolerance attitude towards such violations and will continue to intensify its efforts to combat them.
Major shipping companies tighten controls and impose severe penalties for non-compliance
In view of the recent frequent occurrence of shipping safety accidents, major shipping companies have issued circulars to reiterate the strengthening of control measures over the concealment, omission and misreporting of cargoes, and have made it clear that heavy penalties will be imposed on those who conceal the reporting of dangerous goods. Recently, a number of well-known shipping companies have issued relevant announcements, and the specific penalty standards can be consulted with the relevant shipping companies. It is understood that some of the companies for violations of liquidated damages of up to 100,000 U.S. dollars.
The consequences of export violations are serious, enterprises and freight forwarders share the risks
In recent years, some unscrupulous elements, in order to seek undue benefits, have adopted the methods of false declaration, concealment or entrapment to export fireworks in violation of the law, and these behaviors have significant safety risks. Once seized, the enterprises involved will not only face huge economic losses, but will also be held criminally liable for serious cases, as well as being implicated by the relevant freight forwarders and customs brokers.
It is worth warning that there was previously a major case of concealed export of fireworks, in which the law enforcement authorities succeeded in arresting more than 40 people involved in the whole chain of procurement, warehousing, transportation, loading and unloading, and export, of whom 25 were handed over for prosecution. The case involved six containers, totaling more than 200 tons of fireworks. All 25 persons involved were sentenced by the court in the second instance, with the maximum sentence amounting to four years and seven months.
Professional reminder: compliance declaration is the basic responsibility of enterprises and freight forwarders
We hereby solemnly remind all export enterprises and freight forwarders that they must strictly abide by the customs declaration regulations and truthfully declare the nature of goods. Customs, maritime authorities and shipping companies have been maintaining a high-pressure situation against the under-reporting of dangerous goods, so do not take any chances!
Author: Kim
As a professional Xindashun International Logistics (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd, we always pay attention to the dynamics of international logistics compliance, providing customers with the latest industry information and professional logistics solutions. For any international freight forwarding needs, please feel free to contact: 13556688899, Address: 21B03, Jazz Mansion, No. 4018, Guest Road, Heping Community, Nanhu Street, Luohu District, Shenzhen, China.