Turkish Customs Authorities require vessels arriving at port in Turkey to declare the quantity of bunker oil onboard upon arrival, however, there has been an increase in cases where discrepancies are found between the declared quantity and the actual quantity, and authorities stepped up spot inspections in recent months, Japan P&I Club warns.
Following several incidents in recent months, Japan P&I issued an update on the increasing trend in the area. Turkish Customs have intensified unexpected inspections onboard vessels arriving at Turkish ports to verify the quantity of bunker oil compared to the amount declared by the ship’s command upon arrival.
Practical implications
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- Vessel command must ensure accurate declarations to Customs and carefully measure the quantities of bunkers (including fuel oil, diesel oil, and lube oil) just before arriving at port. It is essential to declare the correct quantities to Customs. Vessel command should cross-check quantities through manual measurement and calculation before arrival and amend records if necessary.
- For vessels sailing between two Turkish ports, it is important to ensure that the bunker declarations match, taking into account the vessel’s bunker consumption. Turkish Customs can track declared bunker quantities between ports using their software, and any discrepancies will trigger an alert. In some cases, local agents may explain the discrepancy by submitting a brief letter and supporting documents, such as copies of the deck logbook. If the explanation is deemed acceptable, no investigation will be opened, though a small administrative fine may be imposed for misdeclaration. However, this practice is not widespread, and the Customs office has discretion over whether the explanation is accepted.
- If a bunker discrepancy is found, Customs will order the confiscation of the excess bunker quantity, which will be physically removed from the vessel’s tanks. This process may cause delays and additional costs. A more common and preferred method is for the vessel’s owners to pay the value of the excess bunkers to the Treasury, which allows the vessel to sail. This payment acts as collateral. In most cases, the relevant criminal court will issue a confiscation order, and after a lawyer’s plea for the payment of collateral instead, the payment is accepted. The Customs office will issue a writ with the required fine/security amount to be paid to the designated account to release the vessel.
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