THE Confederation of Truckers Association of the Philippines (CTAP) has issued supplemental rules on return of empty containers, specifically when empties should be diverted to the CTAP common yard.
CTAP Board Resolution No. 5 series of 2018 states that in the event of return of an empty container to the Manila International Container Port or South Harbor/Port of Manila (as indicated in the delivery order [DO]), the container needs to be diverted to CTAP’s common empty container yard if the CTAP member-operator has no double-transaction at the two ports.
The resolution was approved and adopted by the CTAP Board on October 5.
Moreover, no CTAP member operator shall “ask, demand, and request in connivance with the personnel of the shipping lines for the change of the designated container yard as indicated in the delivery order, otherwise appropriate sanctions and penalties shall be imposed by CTAP to the member operator.”
CTAP Board Resolution No. 5 follows Nos. 3 and 4, which provide guidelines designed to help members cope with the increasing difficulty of returning empty containers to Metro Manila yards.
CTAP chairman Ruperto Bayocot, in the organization’s general membership meeting on October 8, noted that shipping lines are now responding quickly to truckers after the two earlier resolutions took effect on September 26 and October 1, respectively. He noted some carriers have since started not to indicate the designated container yard in the DO, prompting CTAP to issue Resolution No. 5, which took effect on October 5.
Bayocot advised member truckers to make sure a designated container yard is indicated in the DO, and to refrain from taking the delivery if there is none. If truckers are diverted to far destinations such as Bataan and Zambales, Bayocot said they should inform their customs broker and importer as this will entail additional hauling cost.
Meanwhile, CTAP assured members its common empty container yards will not easily get full. CTAP director Maria Zapata has pointed out that under customs rules, shipping lines have to re-export their containers within 90 days, or be levied duties and taxes.
But aside from the current two common yards, Zapata said CTAP is actually looking for other yards, and is also open to operating one. She said an executive of a port operator has signified interest in buying a container yard that the port operator may not necessarily operate itself.
CTAP said it will keep looking for solutions to the problem of returning empties and that more resolutions may be issued in the future.
Bayocot said CTAP is ready for any legal action that might be taken against the organization’s board resolutions.
Stakeholders have long complained about the difficulty of returning empty containers to containers yards, which are now almost full or at full capacity, especially those in Metro Manila. – Roumina Pablo
Updated on oct 18, 12:09 pm, to identify CTAP common yards.
