THE Bureau of Customs will prioritize petroleum shipments and strictly monitor fuel inventories at ports to prevent possible supply disruptions amid war in the Middle East.
In a memorandum, Customs Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno directed all ports and district collectors to accord preferential handling to petroleum cargo and closely track oil import volumes and fuel stocks entering the country.
“All concerned are hereby instructed to ensure the priority berthing and immediate unloading of vessels carrying petroleum products, subject to existing safety and port regulations,” Nepomuceno said.
The Department of Energy had sought Customs assistance to ensure the unhampered and timely release of petroleum products, citing supply and market conditions that require immediate and coordinated government action.
All ports were instructed to give priority attention to shipments of petroleum products, including diesel, gasoline, aviation fuel, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and other similar energy products.
Customs also ordered priority berthing and immediate unloading of vessels carrying petroleum cargo, subject to existing safety and port regulations, to speed up the availability of fuel in the domestic market.
Expedited processing, assessment and clearance of import entries covering petroleum products, along with the streamlining of procedures to avoid delays and redundancies, was also ordered.
“Coordinate closely with relevant government agencies, including the Department of Energy, Philippine Ports Authority, and other stakeholders, to ensure seamless operations,” Nepomuceno said in his memorandum.
The directive also ordered the regular monitoring of fuel inventories stored and discharged in import terminals, refineries and depots in coordination with fuel marking personnel.
For timely monitoring and data collation, concerned offices were instructed to submit reports for each port covering fuel supply conditions.
NIÑA MYKA PAULINE ARCEO
