BOI to take action against firm that imported waste
View(s):The Board of Investment (BOI) has decided to take stern action against a company that has failed to re-export goods as agreed to with a view to concluding this matter expeditiously.
“The company has failed to meet this commitment and has from time to time requested extensions to comply, citing technical and other constraints,” the BOI said in a media release on Friday.
It said that the recent reference in the media regarding 102 containers of contaminated material imported by a BOI enterprise is factually incorrect in that the consignee of the said goods is not a BOI enterprise, operating within a BOI zone or otherwise. These containers are lying in the Port of Colombo.
The BOI further clarified that the activities of a BOI enterprise operating under Hub Regulation No. 01, of 2013, namely Hayleys Free Zone Ltd (HFZL). The BOI had permitted this company in May 2014, to operate an integrated logistics center and entrepot trading as permitted activities within the Katunayake Export Processing Zone.
HFZL had imported from the UK 130 containers of used mattresses and carpets for the purpose of re-export, in October 2017. Out of these containers 29 containers have been re-exported.
“However, in January 2018, having observed that a significant amount of this cargo was unloaded/stored within the free zone premises without being re-exported as envisaged, BOI has given written instructions to the company to strictly comply with commitments laid out in the BOI agreement and the applicable environmental regulations. Simultaneously the BOI took further steps to suspend all future import of used material and the company committed to clear all cargo by end February 2018,” the release said.