| Contents |
Admiralty references: C.E.60014/48, C.E.60023/50, C.E.60057/50, N.L.2710/51, N.L.5190/52 SECTION I. QUARANTINE 2601. Quarantine regulations. Ships arriving from abroad at ports in the United Kingdom are to be guided by the rules in B.R. 54 Quarantine Regulations. 2. At ports abroad all local quarantine regulations are to be strictly observed. In case of doubt, and when the local regulations may not be known, no communication should be held with the shore, with boats or with other ships, until a sufficient time has elapsed to allow of the visit of the Health Officer. 3. Every facility is to be afforded to Health Officers in the performance of their duties. 2602. Quarantine flag. The quarantine flag is to be hoisted, and kept flying until pratique is received, by any ship which arrives from an infected port, or has had any infectious or contagious disease on board, or has communicated with a ship from an infected port or with contagion or infection on board. 2603. Bills of health. Before a ship sails from a port in one country to a port in another country (including a Commonwealth port), the Captain is to obtain a bill of health from the proper officer of Customs. SECTION II. CUSTOMS 2611. Customs regulations. All dutiable or prohibited articles must be declared to the Customs officers and produced, and must not be shipped, unshipped or landed except under regulations jointly approved by the Admiralty and the Commissioners of Customs and Excise. Officers and ratings are to bear in mind that the concessions allowed to the Navy are considerable and that attempts to evade the regulations may not only expose the actual offender to serious penalties but may also endanger the continuance of the concessions generally. 2. A notice is to be posted in conspicuous parts of Her Majesty's ships to the effect that dutiable goods unshipped or landed without due authority from the Customs officers are liable to seizure, and the offending persons to severe disciplinary action or to prosecution in the civil courts. 3. Any officer in the naval service who shall fail to comply with, or who shall commit a breach of, the Customs regulations, either by smuggling, or attempting to smuggle dutiable goods, or in any other way evading or attempting to evade such regulations, will incur the severe displeasure of the Admiralty and may also be brought to trial by court-martial or in a civil court by the Customs authorities. The Captain is to investigate without delay any breach of the Customs regulations on the part of an officer, submitting a report thereon to his Administrative Authority, who is to forward it to the Admiralty, stating what disciplinary action has been taken. The Captain is similarly to investigate breaches of the Customs regulations committed by ratings and to take the 2612 QUARANTINE AND CUSTOMS necessary disciplinary action. The Customs authorities may also bring ratings to trial in a civil court. 4. With very few exceptions all articles are liable to Customs duty on importation into the United Kingdom. Lists of dutiable articles, with current rates of duty and purchase tax, are published from time to time in Admiralty Fleet Orders. 2612. Assistance to Customs Officers. Under the law a Customs officer has the right to go aboard Her Majesty's ships and search every part for prohibited and uncustomed goods. Com-manding Officers are to render every assistance to the Customs officers in carrying out such searches. 2. When officers of the Customs arrive on board one of Her Majesty's ships in pursuance of their duty, the Captain is to give them every possible assistance in discovering any prohibited and uncustomed goods that may be on board, and is to take care that they are allowed to execute their duty without obstruction. The Commissioners of Customs and Excise, on the other hand, engage that their officers will exercise their right of search with discretion, and will only proceed to a detailed and exhaustive search on receiving information which would render such a course desirable. 3. On arrival on board, the Customs officers will report to the Officer of the Watch, who is to detail a petty officer (a member of the Regulating staff, if one is available) to accompany the Customs officers while their search is in progress. 4. When the Customs officers have finished their examination, they will, accompanied by the petty officer detailed in accordance with Clause 3, see the Officer of the Watch before leaving the ship, and, for the purpose of prompt enquiry, furnish him with particulars of any irregularity discovered. 2613. Unshipment and landing of dutiable goods. The following rules govern the unshipment and landing of dutiable goods from Her Majesty's ships, including shore establishments, mutatis mutandis. Except where expressly stated they apply only to the United Kingdom, but they or any such part of them as may be appropriate may be applied by means of local orders by Commanders-+-in-Chief or Senior Officers abroad to the whole or any part of their stations or by the Senior Officer to any fleet, squadron, ships or ship under his command while visiting a port outside the United Kingdom. A breach of these rules in the United Kingdom may be treated as a disciplinary or smuggling offence as appropriate. Outside the United Kingdom a breach of the local orders referred to above may be treated as a disciplinary offence. 2. In these rules tobacco includes Service and other tobacco, cigars and cigarettes. 3. Officers and men may not:-
4. If it is desired to re-land any dutiable stores, other than victualling or naval stores (e.g. mess and canteen stores for return to the merchant supplying them), previous notice is to be given to the Principal Officer of Customs and Excise at the intended port of landing, who will then make the necessary arrangements. Before any dutiable goods, the property of a private or official personage, are landed at the conclusion of a voyage in one of Her Majesty's ships, the same procedure is to be followed. 5. TRANSFER OF DUTIABLE STORES FROM ONE SHIP TO ANOTHER.-In home waters, the transfer of such stores from one of Her Majesty's ships to another will not be allowed unless both ships are at the same port. Previous notice of any proposed transfer is to be given to the Customs authorities. Except as provided in Clause 4 and in B.R. 1990, officers and men may not unship or land dutiable goods unless either:-
Note:-The customs landing pass is to be used only for tobacco (including cigars and cigarettes), perfumes, coffee, 'cocoa, tea, dried fruits, matches, sugar and sugar composite goods. The duty on all other dutiable goods must be paid on board on arrival. II. CUSTOMS 2615 6. PAYMENT OF DUTY ON BOARD.-Special visits of Customs officers to Her Majesty's ships or Royal Naval Barracks for the purpose of taking duty may be arranged by the Commanding Officer with the local Principal Officer of Customs. Where duty has been paid on board, a landing pass is not required, but the receipt of the Customs officer must be produced if asked for on or after landing. 7. CUSTOMS LANDING PASS.-Special attention is called to the regulations printed on the form. These passes must be produced to any Customs officer on request. They are not to be issued to Royal Naval Reserve or Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve officers or men while under training, or to naval ratings leaving the ship on discharge from the service or being transferred to a shore establishment for early discharge. Should these desire to land more than the duty-free allowance, they must give early notice to the Regulating Staff, who will arrange for the attendance of a Customs officer to receive the duty on board. 2614. Conveyance of packages. Packages are not to be received on board any of Her Majesty's ships for conveyance without the knowledge and approval of the Captain and unless they are properly entered on Bill of Lading (Form D.79) which should be presented with the packages, see 2615 (3). 2. Such packages will normally be offered for shipment by responsible dockyard officers and will consist of Service stores or unaccompanied private effects of naval, military and air force officers and government officials. Shipment of anything in the way of merchandise on behalf of individuals, private firms or contractors, without prior Admiralty approval, is distinctly forbidden. See 1758 on shipment of currency, bullion, etc. 3. The Admiralty accepts no responsibility for damage or loss by pilfering or otherwise for goods purchased from private firms for individual officers, messes, etc., deposited in Admiralty establishments or conveyed as indulgence freight in any of Her Majesty's ships. Any expenses incurred in connection with the handling of such goods will be recoverable from the officer or officers concerned. Ordinary commercial facilities for the despatch of private goods to officers' messes, etc., are to be employed, and such stores are not to be consigned to the care of dockyard officers or any yard or store depot. 4. If not intended to be cleared with baggage on arrival, the marks and stated contents, with the names and addresses of the shippers and consignees, are to be entered in the Parcels Book (Form S.568) which is to be initialled by the Captain at each port of shipment, and is to be produced, if required, to the Officer of Customs at the port of delivery. 5. Unless previously cleared on board by the Customs, all packages and parcels must be landed within 48 hours of the ship's arrival in harbour, and removed to the Customs Baggage Warehouse or to the storehouse of the Admiralty officer arranging discharge of the ship, to await authority of the Customs for delivery. 2615. Arrival from a foreign port. On the arrival of one of Her Majesty's ships from a foreign port (including the Irish Republic) or from the Channel Islands, the Captain is to make the following returns to the Collector of Customs before any goods which have been shipped are taken out of the ship:
2. It is necessary that these returns should be available as soon as the ship arrives in port and the Captain should therefore take steps to see that they are completed before arrival at the first port of call in the United Kingdom. These three forms are to be prepared according to the instructions printed thereon and are to be given to the Customs officer who boards the ship, or (if he fails to do so within 24 hours of the ship's arrival) sent direct to the Principal Officer of Customs and Excise at the port. 3. It is necessary that Form 5.216 should contain particulars of all stores, equipment and unaccompanied baggage shipped as general cargo, as well as of miscellaneous small packages listed in the Parcels Book (Form 5.568) in accordance with Article 2614 (4). 2616 QUARANTINE AND CUSTOMS Where a considerable amount of cargo is carried as freight it will probably be more convenient to attach a copy of the unstamped Bill of Lading to Form 5.216 rather than to enter details of every package on the Customs form. Where unstamped Bills of Lading are used they must be legible and securely fastened to the Form 5.216, each page of the account as finally constituted being numbered consecutively and a covering certificate given on Form S.216 of the number of pages forming the account. 4. With reference to Clause 1 (c), officers and men of the ship's company will be allowed to retain reasonable quantities of dutiable goods declared on Form 5.569, on the clear understanding that they are for use on board only and are not to be landed except under Customs authority. Dutiable goods in excess of the quantities allowed duty free for use on board must be cleared, on payment of duty on board, as soon as possible after arrival from foreign ports, or removed to the Queen's Warehouse. Any of the ship's company found with dutiable goods not so declared may be held guilty of attempting to smuggle. 5. Commanding Officers of Her Majesty's ships are reminded that any civilian passengers embarked in ports (including Northern Ireland) outside Great Britain must be examined by the Immigration Authorities on landing in Great Britain or Northern Ireland, and must comply with the usual formalities at the port of disembarkation. No exception to this rule should be made even though the integrity of the passenger is known to be beyond all doubt. Should the Immigration Authorities not be easily available, the presence of such passengers should be reported to an officer of H.M. Customs. 6. It is emphasised that the Customs and Immigration regulations apply to sailing yachts allocated for naval service, who are required to render the returns listed in Clause 1 and who should whenever possible notify the Customs authority beforehand of their arrival from any foreign port (including the Irish Republic) or from the Channel Islands. If prior notification is not possible their arrival is to be made known to the local Customs authorities. 2616. Aircraft. Any of Her Majesty's ships which intend to fly off aircraft before arrival, or to land parties of men very shortly after arrival, or any naval aircraft departing from an air station abroad, are to give notice of the fact as early as possible by W/T to the Commander-in-Chief within whose area the aircraft or ratings will land, so that he may give advance notice to the Customs and Immigration authorities. 2. Attention is called to the detailed instructions given in B.R. 1990 under the heading " Control and clearance of persons and articles entering or leaving the United Kingdom by air." 2617. Examination for suspected prohibited or uncustomed goods. If a Customs officer requests that a Service package be examined for prohibited or uncustomed goods at the port of landing, the package need not be examined there, but it is to be taped and sealed by the Customs officer, and it will then go forward to its destination. The Customs officer at the same time will advise the Customs officer at the place to which the package is addressed, that it is being forwarded, and the naval authorities likewise will advise the consignee that it is only to be opened in the presence of the Customs officer, and should nothing wrong be found, it will at once be delivered out of Customs charge. The procedure, which is an exception to the general rule that Customs officers have the right to examine all packages, etc., landed from ships, is solely to avoid delay in transit, and only applies to Service packages. Private parcels are liable to be examined at any time, but an officer's locked bag, sent ashore in charge of an attendant or other person, will as a rule be exempt from Customs examination if the owner makes himself personally responsible for its contents by sending with it a signed pass (Form S.569c), which must be given up on demand, but the right of examination is retained. 2618. Postal arrangements. Attention is called to the Customs regulations about parcels posted on board Her Majesty's ships. These are given in B.R. 1981 Naval Mail Regulations. 2619. Gangway Wine Book. All wines, spirits, beer and tobacco (including cigars and cigarettes), of whatever description they may be, and for whatever mess or person, are to be entered in the Gangway Wine Book (Form S.251) when received on board and also if disembarked. The book is to be kept by the Master-at-Arms, signed by him weekly, and inspected and initialled weekly by the Captain; it is to be produced, on request, to the officers of Customs. The date of return of shipping bills is also to be noted in the Gangway Wine Book in red ink against the entry of the stores in II. CUSTOMS 2620 question, and the Captain is to be informed of any shipping bills outstanding when the book is initialled by him. See also B.R. 1990. 2. A Gangway Wine Book need not be kept in ships and establishments which are not entitled to the privilege of duty-free mess and canteen stores. 2620. Detailed regulations. Regulations on the following subjects will be found in B.R. 1990 Customs and Immigration Regulations for the Royal Navy:-
^ back to top ^ |