Aiming to encourage more vessels to transit the Suez Canal, the Suez Canal Authority has decided to grant reduction in dues to LNG tankers operating between the American Gulf, Arabian Gulf zone, India and its eastern ports, either they are loaded or in ballast.
The toll discounts are as follows:
- The Arabian Gulf and west of India up to port of Kochi: Reduction of 30%
- East of port of Kochi, west of India, just up to port of Singapore: Reduction of 40%
- Singapore and its eastern ports: Reduction of 50%
Any company wishing to benefit from the discount has to submit a request before transit through its shipping agency, the Authority informed. The ship must not call any port in between port of origin and port of destination for commercial purposes, provided that ship’s operator must forward a formal declaration about this.
In case of calling at in between ports for non- commercial purposes, the authorities of these ports have to submit a certificate to the SCA, stating the reasons of calling.
Submitting a certificate from the last port of origin stating the date of sailing and a certificate from the first port of arrival stating the date of arrival, all documents or part of them shall be submitted within 60 days from the date of transit. In case of delay to submit some of these documents or objection to them, they could be completed in a maximum period of 180 days from the date of transit.
A statement submitted by ship’s agency undertaking to pay the granted reduction in case of calling in between ports for commercial purposes, or failing to submit the documents during the period stated above.
However, the tanker will have no right to benefit from other rebates granted by SCA to LNG tankers. The above are on effect as of 1 October 2017, for one year.
