An important message from Mr. Darshan Sheth, Partner & Director, CKB Group of Companies. CKB Mumbai Headquarters:
We wish to inform all GTO Members and GTO Agents of a new regulation introduced by the Government of India for all shipments arriving into India with effect from 1
st
August 2019.
This new regulation is called The Sea Cargo Manifest & Transhipment Regulation (SCMT).
The intent of this regulation is
1. Advance intimation of the arriving / departing cargo
2. Enhance Risk assessment & facilitation based on the manifest declarations
3. Complete information about vessel available electronically – including passenger/crew details, ship stores & same bottom cargo
4. Track & Trace of every cargo entering/exiting Indian waters
5. Streamlining of the manifest process & consequent amendments
Sea Arrival Manifest (SAM): This replaces the erstwhile Import General Manifest (IGM).
SAM is required to be submitted to Indian customs prior to departure of vessel from the last foreign port before arrival at any Indian Port.
To adhere to this timeline, we will need your valued assistance and support with regard to submitting the appropriate shipping documents and / or other needed documents prior to prescribed deadlines.
Under this new regulation, there are certain additional mandatory details to be shown on the bill of lading (Master & House) and we are listing the details here under:
1. HS code: 6-Digit HS (Harmonized System) code
2. PAN Number: 10-digit PAN (Permanent Account Number) of notify party (If notify party is from India)
3. Invoice Value: Value of the cargo along with currency (3-digit alphabetical code) as per commercial invoice. (As of now this is optional but it is expected to be made mandatory in the near future)
4. GST (Goods & Services Tax) Number or IEC (Import Export Code) Number of the consignee
5. Full address of the Shipper, Consignee & Notify party including Zip Code
As per the draft amendment of the SCMT guideline published on 12th July 2019, customs have proposed a transition period of 45 days (i.e., up to 15th September 2019) to enable all stakeholders to make necessary changes in their systems/processes.
Non-compliance to the above requirements may lead to cargo not being offloaded from the vessel where the entire risk, cost and consequence remain on account of merchant.
Since this is a new regulation, we expect clarifications and amendments in the same as time goes by and this may lead to changes which we will inform in due course.
Best regards to all GTO Members and GTO Agents worldwide.
