Customs seize hazardous chemical waste from UK, Netherlands

Officers at the Tanjung Priok Port Customs and Excise office managed to foil an attempt to import 113 cargo containers filled with hazardous waste, which was reportedly sent from the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.

"The import permit was in accordance with requirements but we were suspicious that the contents of the cargo appeared to violate the regulation," said Environment Minister Balthasar Kambuaya as quoted by Antara on Saturday at the port in North Jakarta.

The cargo, comprising 89 containers from the UK, and the remainder from the Netherlands, arrived at the port aboard five ships. The cargo had been managed by PT HHS since November 2011. According to the manifests, the cargo contained scrap steel mixed with chemicals, soil and tar.

According to Balthasar, the government allows the import of scrap steel but the material should follow certain standards; also, the steel material should be pure and not mixed with waste products. 

He said importing hazardous waste violated the 2009 laws on the ban on importing hazardous waste and on the ban on waste disposal. (swd)