Today, 19 June 2020, Baltic customs marks 28 years since its founding.
Ensuring the smooth clearance of cargoes, ships and passengers in the largest port in Russia “Sea port of Saint-Petersburg” – one of the main objectives of the Baltic customs.
The Baltic customs office established on 19 June 1992, the order of the SCC of Russia of 19 June 1992 No. 213. By mid-1993, the custom 22 functioning of the Department and the staffing team consisted of 200 people. Region of activity was identified the waters of the Sea trade port, Timber port, Fishing port and Harbour area of Vasilyevsky island. Until 1996 the structural units of the Baltic customs was located in the building on Boundary channel. In 1996, there was commissioned a new office building on Kanonersky island 32A.
In the region of activity of customs there are two sea checkpoint: the Big port St. Petersburg and Passenger port of Saint-Petersburg.
In the 28 years since the formation of the customs have undergone a lot of changes. Today Russian customs is one of the main towns in customs and is considered to be the largest in the Northwest.
It accounts for more than 60% of amount of customs duties and taxes the North-Western customs administration. For five months of 2020 (January-may) Baltic customs transferred to the Federal budget of customs duties and taxes amounting to 188,6 billion.
Team customs over 1,100 people who are serving in 7 customs posts and in more than 50 subdivisions.
Despite the fact that this year has been difficult for all, during the period of validity of restrictive measures on non-proliferation of novel coronavirus infection in the Russian Federation Russian customs continues to ensure the smooth clearance moved through the customs border of marine products. All customs posts of the Baltic customs, including the Baltic CED, work in normal mode from 9-00 to 21-00 hours daily (including weekends), with observance of all necessary anti-epidemic measures.
In January-may 2020 Baltic customs released 804 137 customs declarations. In the region of the Baltic customs carry out their activities 7609 participants of foreign economic activity.
Large volumes of consignments – a distinctive feature of the Baltic customs cleared cargo. Foreign trade turnover in the region of the Baltic customs in Jan-may 2020 made up 13.86 billion U.S. dollars. A mass load feature goods for 5 months 2020 compared with the same period last year increased by 70% to 10.66 million tons.
Over the past few years, Russian customs has been active in the work to improve customs operations and procedures, aimed at minimizing costs of participants of foreign economic activities, the simplification and acceleration of processes of customs control. In January-may 2020 Baltic customs automatically was 85% and automatically released 19% of the customs declarations. Only automatically registered were more than 118 thousand goods declarations.
An important direction in work of the Baltic customs is to combat violations of the customs legislation. Through the work of the law enforcement unit of the Baltic customs for 5 months 2020 1059 filed cases on administrative offences and 23 criminal cases for violation of the customs legislation. One of the largest in this year’s detention in illicit cigarettes of the Belarusian production, hidden in various hiding places (lumber, steel plates, insulation fiber).
During the whole time of its existence, the Russian customs is not only revenue generating, but sort of a proving ground for the testing of the latest customs technologies, forms and methods of work, and a large team of professionals successfully cope with the huge volume of work, providing one of the largest ports in Russia – the Sea port of Saint-Petersburg.
A bit of history
The history of the Baltic customs is inextricably linked with the development of the Northern capital, not only as the administrative center of Russia, but also as the largest sea and river port.
The historical starting point of customs activities has become the day of arrival in 1703 in Saint-Petersburg port of the first foreign vessel. In November, 1703, the Russian newspaper reported on the arrival in St. Petersburg of the first Dutch merchant ship with a cargo consisting of wines of different varieties and Spanish salt. The ship is moored at the pier at Vasilyevsky island and met him personally, Peter.
With the permission of Peter I the goods were sold duty-free. Thus, from November 1703 originates commercial port and customs service of Saint-Petersburg.
Established in the early eighteenth century Seaport custom lasted until the beginning of XX century. The main tasks of customs includes implementation of customs control of goods arriving in St. Petersburg. Baltic customs is considered as the successor to Port custom. And after three centuries all also the first one meets coming from abroad the court, remain officials of the Maritime customs.
Alina Schmidt,
press Secretary of the Baltic customs