The Bureau of Customs (BOC) seized over 160 empty containers at the Manila International Container Port (MICP), to help ease port congestion at the country’s major ports.
MICP District Collector Elmir Dela Cruz said the seized empty containers at the MICP have been at the MICP container yard for more than 150 days.
Customs Administration Order No. 2-97, in relation to Section 2630(f) of the Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines, allows port collectors to seize container vans from abroad that have overstayed at the ports beyond the allowed timeframe of 150 days.
“These overstaying empty containers shall not be accepted or loaded in any Customs ports without a lawful permission from our office,” Dela Cruz said.
Accordingly, the BOC has also instructed all shipping lines, freight forwarders, private arrastre service providers to report or disallow the processing of the overstaying empty containers as these are subject of seizure proceedings of MICP law division.
Overstaying containers are a problem at the Ports of Manila, exacerbated by the recent Manila daytime truck ban. The container pileup has reached epic proportions with the Manila International Container Terminal closing permanently its empty container depot.
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