Local authorities are facing mounting difficulties in managing imported scrap as many scrap importers have refused to cooperate in dealing with the numerous scrap containers piling up at ports, said a General Department of Vietnam Customs official.

In this file photo, many scrap containers are seen at Cat Lai Port. Investigations into violations committed by scrap importers have become more challenging due to uncooperative importers 

Nguyen Khanh Quang, deputy head of the the general department's Anti-Smuggling Investigation Division, was quoted by news site VietnamPlus as saying at a press briefing in Hanoi on December 27 that to date, the division has proposed charges against four enterprises for their violations of rules regarding scrap imports.

Customs agencies in Haiphong City and An Giang Province have also proposed charging nine firms.

However, investigations into violations committed by scrap importers have become more challenging, as the importers have denied responsibility.

Some scrap owners did not report to customs units when summoned, and when officials visited their offices for verification, they were not present, according to Quang.

Several State-run agencies were unwilling to cooperate with customs agencies to launch investigations into alleged violations by scrap importers, the customs representative added.

The increasingly sophisticated falsification of scrap import documents has been a major problem for authorities for the past year. The problem escalated at the end of the year, and many firms were found to have been importing scrap outside of regulations, remarked Quang.

Quang described one inappropriate popular practice, where scrap containers were shipped into the country for sale rather than processing, as declared on the importers’ business licenses. Some importers even imported scraps in larger volumes than permitted.

Aside from the falsification of paperwork, a significant proportion of the imported scrap does not meet the standards regulated by the competent agencies and includes banned items.

Responding to a question on which units would bear responsibility for scrap containers imported by nonexistent firms, Quang confirmed that natural resources and environment authorities should bear responsibility. These units issue licenses for scrap importers.

To be licensed for importing scrap for local processing, a firm must have sufficient machinery and facilities. However, investigations by customs agencies revealed a number of licensed importers who owned no facilities, Quang said.

He added that a backlog of over 20,000 containers of imported scrap currently occupies much of the space at local ports, affecting their throughput capacity. It will take a long time to deal with these containers under the current complicated procedures, while the container owners do not dare confirm their ownership as they have falsified the import documents or imported banned items.

Thus, Quang proposed that the Government adopt new, more effective measures to quickly tackle the scrap backlog.

SGT