US-sanctioned scrap vessel stuck at Ctg Port amid customs delay
The vessel’s local shipping agent says the delay is costing the foreign owner about $30,000 a day in fuel, crew and other operating expenses.
Highlights:
- US-sanctioned scrap vessel MV Maymei has been stranded at Chattogram Port for over a month.
- The delay is costing the foreign owner around $30,000 a day in operating expenses.
- The import deal and LC were cancelled, with no financial claims from either party.
- The shipping agent says customs delays in amending the IGM are preventing the vessel's return.
- Chattogram Customs says it is awaiting guidance from the National Board of Revenue (NBR) before allowing the vessel to leave.
A scrap vessel imported for recycling in Bangladesh has remained stranded at Chattogram Port for more than a month after being placed under US sanctions, with customs procedures delaying its return despite the import deal being cancelled and no Bangladeshi party having any financial claim.
The vessel's local shipping agent says the delay is costing the foreign owner about $30,000 a day in fuel, crew and other operating expenses.
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Documents reviewed by The Business Standard show that MV Maymei (formerly Muland, IMO: 9133082) arrived at Chattogram Port on 26 May for recycling by SN Corporation (Unit-1) under a letter of credit (LC) opened through NRB Bank.
Two days later, on 28 May, the US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned the vessel.
The buyer then refused delivery. The buyer and seller cancelled both the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) and the LC, agreeing that neither would have any financial claim against the other.
NRB Bank confirmed no payment had been made under the LC, cancelled it and issued a no-objection certificate. SN Corporation also issued a no-objection letter to amend or cancel the vessel's Import General Manifest (IGM), while the Bangladesh Ship Recycling Board withdrew its import no-objection certificate.
Customs process
On 24 June, Solar Shipping Lines applied to the deputy commissioner of Chattogram Custom House to amend or cancel the IGM so the vessel could return to its foreign owner. The deputy commissioner advised the agent to seek an export permit from the customs commissioner instead. Following that advice, the agent submitted a fresh application on 1 July.
Shipping industry experts told TBS that writing off or correcting the IGM is the key administrative step before the vessel can leave. They said the vessel was only registered in the Customs ASYCUDA World system through the IGM.
No Bill of Entry was filed, and no import clearance was completed before the sanctions, leaving the vessel anchored at the port's outer anchorage.
Agent seeks quick clearance
Solar Shipping Lines' owner, Towfiqul Islam, said the sanctions came during the Eid holidays, prompting the buyer to halt the import process immediately. After offices reopened, the MoA and LC were cancelled, the relevant no-objection certificates were withdrawn or issued, and all documents were submitted to customs on 24 June requesting that the IGM be written off.
He said the vessel never reached the import stage because only the IGM had been filed to obtain a registration number for further formalities, while no Bill of Entry was submitted. Citing Section 148 of the Customs Act, 2023, he said customs has the authority to amend or write off the IGM and allow the vessel to leave, calling it "a simple process" that is being delayed.
Sharif Al Amin, spokesperson for Chattogram Custom House, said customs is awaiting guidance from the National Board of Revenue because the vessel is under US sanctions.
"After receiving its guidance, permission will be granted to return the vessel following the due process," he said.
