Industry body of shipping companies complain that the light dues charged by the Customs Department on containers carried on decks of ships docked in all the major ports raises costs of operation.
Therefore, the Container Shipping Lines Association (CSLA) plans to request the Shipping Ministry to intevene and solve the issue.
The association also discussed the matter at the 43rd session of SCOPE (Standing Committee on Promotion of Exports).
Reports suggest that the Customs Department had wrongly interpreted The Light House Act, 1927, in two crucial areas. One — the charging of light dues on containers carried on decks of ships had resulted in additional costs.
Shipping companies found fault with the way the customs department started charging light dues for every 30 days that a vessel stays in port.
The association feels that the dues should not be charged on empty containers as they earn no freight. In other words, the association wants the department to charge light dues on earning capacity. In all such cases the Customs have given wrong interpretations of the Lighthouse Act, CSLA said.
The SCOPE (Shipping) meeting, which was held under the chairmanship of Madhusudan Prasad, Additional Secretary, Commerce Department, directed the CSLA to meet officials of the Shipping Ministry as the light dues are fixed by the Ministry and collected by the Customs.
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