The number of waste containers sitting abandoned at Vietnamese ports had fallen sharply this year, according to a report released on Monday by the General Department of Customs.
The Việt Nam Maritime Administration has requested that associations, seaport companies and shipping companies be exempted or allowed to pay reduced service fees for containers stored at seaports for a long time.
Only 350 of over 3,000 scrap containers stuck at Cát Lái Port in HCM City had been opened and handled so far this year, said Nguyễn Hữu Nghiệp, deputy head of the city’s Customs Agency.
Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Trần Hồng Hà received most of questions and comments from National Assembly deputies yesterday with concerns on hot issues throughout the country including environmental protection and sustainable resources management.
A number of large-scale smuggling cases employing sophisticated methods have recently challenged the country’s customs agency.
The Finance Ministry has asked the Ministry of Transport not to grant business licences to shipping lines that transport scrap that includes waste and pollutants to Việt Nam.
Over 4,900 scrap containers left unclaimed for 90 days are piling up at major seaports across the country, raising environmental concerns.
As many as 158 individuals and organisations have been found illegally importing scrap into Việt Nam as they are not certified to carry out such activities.
The Việt Nam Maritime Administration has ordered all seaport management agencies to quickly deal with the huge backlog of imported scrap containers across the country.