Custom Fines in Argentina

Local correspondents in Argentina have drawn our attention to the ongoing issue with the application of custom fines relating to the misdeclaration of shipboard stores. In the past, we have been made aware of issues in Argentina where the misdeclaration of lub oils, bunkers, chemicals, spare parts, grabs and other items in the stores list, especially in ports such as the port of San Nicolas have resulted in large custom fines.

The latest practice seems to be that of requiring ships to declare the lub oil in the sump tank of the main engine. We understand worldwide practice is not to declare the oils in the main engine sump tank, which is considered as constant on the vessel and accounted for in the lightship of the vessel. Correspondents have recently advised the Club of a number of ships that have been boarded by customs search gangs who have stated that the lub oil in the sump tank has not been declared, and then declaring it as a customs infringement.

In those cases the vessel has been told that the lub oil in question has to be discharged within 48 hours and placed in storage in a proper depot for the account of the vessel. If it is not discharged then the owners have to put a cash guarantee up for twice the market value of the lub oil which customs consider to have a price from $7 to $10 per litre when the real price worldwide is about $1.50 to $2.

In view of the above, Members may wish to declare the quantity of oil in the ship’s sump tanks especially when calling at the port of San Nicolas.

North would also like to stress that Masters should be careful when declaring quantities as we have previously seen that the quantities of, for example, lub oils or chemicals are duplicated in the store list but when quantities are checked by the customs search gang there is a discrepancy this then leads to fines for shortages which in reality do not exist but are difficult to prove later on.