Cargo Clearance Procedure

The following is a Public Announcement from Port Control and HM Customs.

Port Control and HM Customs advise that with immediate effect, requests for off-loading cargo at Rupert’s should be submitted three days in advance for each voyage of the Maria Da Paz arriving at St Helena. Requests are to be made by completing and returning an application form. These can be requested by email via customs.enquiries@sainthelena.gov.sh, and available on the SHG website.

It should be noted that the default procedure is for cargo to be offloaded then transported and processed at Jamestown, so requests for use of Rupert’s will be only considered for approval on the following basis:

• Logistical requirements and / or limitations do not permit offloading at Jamestown
• The container does not contain consolidated cargo
• FCL (Full Container Loads) are to be transported to another location for examinations
• A company’s storage facility is located at Rupert’s
• The cargo inside the container is to be used for projects taking place at Rupert’s

Requests should clearly outline if and how they meet the above criteria. A collective decision will then be made by Port Control and HM Customs and in consultation with Solomons where relevant in respect to logistics.

For further information, please contact any of the below officials:

In April, the Executive Council agreed to extend certain elements of the existing cost of living support package for a further three months. This included duty reductions on essential items, and subsidies on movements of containers between Rupert’s and Jamestown where they contained food provisions, animal feed or were reefers. The community are therefore reminded that if a request is approved for the off-loading of cargo at Rupert’s, cargo will not be eligible for the Freight Transport Subsidy. Any inconvenience caused is regretted, and the public and trading communities are thanked for their support and cooperation.