Please refer to our Japan P&I News No.702 dated 7 October 2014. We have obtained additional information of recent notification of the customs fine in Nikolaev port from Dias Marine Consulting P.C., our correspondents in Ukraine.

The correspondents remind us that huge fines are imposed by the Customs officers in Nikolaev for failure to declare the ship’s stores and any goods on board. Besides, it is inevitable to lead to particularly high fines for alleged discrepancies between actual quantity of bunker oil on board and declared quantity, which are found out as a result of their sounding of the ship’s bunker tanks.

Members whose vessels are scheduled to call at Nikolaev port should take utmost care by following the requirements of Ukrainian Customs in accordance with the local agents’ advice in order to prevent outrageons customs fines.