Heavy rains last Friday interrupted Customs clearance of cargo arriving on the weekly cargo flight last Friday afternoon much to the chagrin of local businesses eager to get their shipments to fulfill orders for the weekend.
Customs was calling businesses not to pick up their cargo due to the rain. Business owners complained, “we need our cargo but they’re telling us to wait for Monday. This has happened a few times now and it’s an inconvenience to us.”
They asked why the government spent so much money on a warehouse at the airport which it’s not using.
Responding to KHJ News questions Deputy Treasurer Keith Gebauer said, “The air cargo flight is still operated by the local agent out of their warehouse space but much of the clearance and inspections is conducted outside the agents facility in the open area in front of their warehouse.
“As a general rule and for safety reasons, the air cargo operation may be halted as needed. The most common reasons are flight delays and weather related delays which I believe was the case last week.“
Gebauer commented that Customs is “very mindful of the urgency from businesses to clear their shipments but we will not endanger our personnel or the general public if the weather poses a concern. As such, perishable items and other temperature and time sensitive shipments (for example medical supplies) are prioritized and the remaining may be held until a later time due to safety reasons.”
The business owners say they continue to get taxed and made to pay all sorts of creative fees and so they expect much better services from Customs instead of being made to wait to get their cargo released.
Gebauer explained that the Customs airport warehouse was built in part to address this long standing concern. As of now the warehouse is not fully completed.
“There are still a few items that need to be completed before the warehouse is operational but once opened Customs will be able to offer more services and be better equipped to handle inclement weather and address businesses’ needs more effectively,“ said the deputy treasurer.
The new warehouse was planned to be opened at the end of this month but a few final items which have not arrived, need to be installed.
Gebauer stated, “We appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding during this upgrade to our facilities to better serve the business community and general public.”
He assured he will look into what options were made available for importers who weren’t able to clear their cargo on Friday night.
“Safety of the operation must always be our priority,” he reiterated.
