DAKAR - Custom fines - Skuld

SENEGAL P&IFRANCE P&IP & I C O R R E S P O N D E N T SINFORMATION NOTICE | DAKAR CUSTOM FINESWe would like to draw the attention of all ship operators calling in Dakar on the fact thatthe Customs Authorities have over the last weeks shown a regain of interest in thedetails provided in ships’ declarations of manifests, ship stores and bunkers. Failure tocomply with the provisions of the Senegalese Customs Code has resulted in veryimportant fines being levied.It must be clearly understood that, regardless of the nature of the discrepancy or errormade by the Master when filling these declarations, due to the very broad definitionmade of “smuggling/contraband” by the a.m. Customs Code, any such omission can leadto fines which may reach up to four times the value of the concerned goods.A specific attention has to be paid to small fishing boats approaching vessels atanchorage and offering to trade local goods such as for example seafood or fish againstdiesel oil. While the crew may (wrongly) believe that they are far enough from the coastnot to be spotted by the authorities, they must be made aware that, in most cases, thevery same fishermen having just traded with them head up straight to the CustomsOffice once the deal is completed, to inform them of such, thus leading to the immediateopening of a smuggling investigation against the concerned vessel.We therefore highly recommend all Clubs and their Members should inform their Mastersand ship’s crews accordingly, instructing them to refuse any attempt made by locals totrade with them or buy something from the vessel, since the import on Senegalesegrounds of any good featured onboard a vessel (including but not limited to stationeries,stores diesel oil or paints) without prior proper customs declaration is strictly prohibitedand subject to criminal prosecution.The safest Customs practice we would recommend for a Master arriving in Dakar wouldbe the following one:- Request in writing from his ship Agent well in advance all latest customsrequirements and prepare his Senegalese customs declarations also long beforearriving in port;- Check thoroughly that all consumables featured onboard, including food, paint,stationery, crew personal effects etc. have been accurately listed into the properdeclaration form;- In case of any doubt, ask the vessel’s agent;- Keep all customs declarations in a specific file to be controlled by the ship agentbefore their official release to any Customs officer boarding the ship;- Welcome the Customs officers in person in company of the ship agent when theycome on board for formalities;- Refuse to make any trade with anyone - foreigners or locals - at any stage of thecall, including whilst en route to the port.1- SENEGAL P&I -I m m e u b l e A i c h a - A p t . H 4 41 5 , a v e n u e J e a n J a u r e s - D a k a r - S E N E G A LT e l e p h o n e / F a x : + 2 2 1 - 3 3 8 4 2 9 0 9 3E-m ail: all@sene gal pan di. c omW eb: www.seneg alpan di.com- F R A N C E P & I -P o r t A u t o n o m e d e P a r i s3 , R o u t e O u e s t d u M ô l e n ° 1 ~ B a t . A 1 0 ~ C E N ° 1 5 49 2 6 3 1 G e n n e v i l l i e r s C e d e x ~ F R A N C ETel: +33-(0)1.80.46.70.30 ~ Fax: +33-(0)1.80.46.70.31E - m a i l : g e n e r a l @ f r a n c e p a n d i . c o mW e b : w w w . f r a n c e p a n d i . c o m

INFORMATION NOTICE | DAKAR CUSTOMS FINESIf for any reason the documentation is not ready by the time the vessel berths, it mightbe prudent to delay access to the ship by keeping the gangway up after the agent’sboarding, until all declarations are completed, controlled by the Agent and ready to behanded to the Customs Officer.Masters/Crews should under no circumstance try to enter directly into any sort of“negotiation” with the Customs Officers. They are sworn officers and any attempt toopenly bribe them would automatically result in the Master’s imprisonment and thevessel’s detentionBut most of all, in case of any Customs-related difficulty, please ensure that Master andAgent contact the local P&I correspondent immediately. Indeed, while such problems canresolve amicably in their early hours, the situation can quickly crystalize administrativelypast a certain point.Yours sincerely,SENEGAL P&ITel (office) + 221 33 842 90 93Tel (24h mobile) + 221 77 630 12 492- SENEGAL P&I -I m m e u b l e A i c h a - A p t . H 4 41 5 , a v e n u e J e a n J a u r e s - D a k a r - S E N E G A LT e l e p h o n e / F a x : + 2 2 1 - 3 3 8 4 2 9 0 9 3E-m ail: all@sene gal pan di. c omW eb: www.seneg alpan di.com- F R A N C E P & I -P o r t A u t o n o m e d e P a r i s3 , R o u t e O u e s t d u M ô l e n ° 1 ~ B a t . A 1 0 ~ C E N ° 1 5 49 2 6 3 1 G e n n e v i l l i e r s C e d e x ~ F R A N C ETel: +33-(0)1.80.46.70.30 ~ Fax: +33-(0)1.80.46.70.31E - m a i l : g e n e r a l @ f r a n c e p a n d i . c o mW e b : w w w . f r a n c e p a n d i . c o m