Customs point to be notified for breaking River Princess

PANJIM, DEC 20
Candolim coast will be soon notified as “Notified Customs Point” to facilitate breaking of the grounded vessel M V River Princess along the coast line.
Director of Tourism Swapnil Naik told HERALD that the vessel being a foreign one, it is mandatory to break it up at a “Notified Customs Point” only.
The coast where the vessel lays grounded for over a decade is not a Certified Customs Point, presently.
Other options available is to move the vessel to a Notified Customs Point elsewhere, which has ship breaking facilities such as the Alang ship breaking yard in Gujarat, the director said.
“Since it is not physically possible to move the vessel, the Candolim beach where the vessel has been grounded, will be certified as Notified Customs Point before actual work of breaking of the vessel could start,” Naik said adding the government has already started working in this direction.
Further, Naik said the government is trying hard to get exemption from payment of Customs duty. Normally the government would have to pay 16 per cent customs duty on total scrap value of the vessel but we are hopeful of getting exemption, he said.
The department is also in the process of ascertaining the exact scrap value of the vessel and has already engaged companies for the job. The breaking of the vessel will happen under the scrutiny of Customs, he added.