Customs continues DA550 concession

CUSTOMS IS still accepting a shipping line booking reference number on DA550 documentation where the container and seal numbers are not available in advance of clearing the shipment, according to Edward Little, executive director of the SA Association of Freight Forwarders (SAAFF). This interim measure was agreed between SAAFF and customs project director Itchy Shaik at the end of last year because of the difficulty in obtaining container numbers before clearance. This because of a Catch 22 situation where you canÕt be allocated a container (and its number) before you present a completed DA550. And, in a new customs ruling, no DA550 approved without a container number. SAAFF is currently investigating what has to be done to enable container numbers to be available in advance, with the Kwa Zulu Natal executive driving these efforts. At the same time, negotiations are being conducted between the authorities and the agents to try to resolve this problem.