The Customs Department has given time until September 30 for the re-export of high-quality containers that were imported for the efficient transport of liquid medical oxygen during the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a circular to field trainings, the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBIC) said it had received representations through the Department for the Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) to provide relaxations in the re-export of ISO containers temporarily imported to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

Such containers have been used for the efficient transport of liquid medical oxygen due to the inherent advantage of multimodal transport (by road/rail/waterways/airways).

“The Council hereby guides all field training to enable the extension of the re-export deadline for ISO containers intended for the transport of liquid medical oxygen, …. until September 30, 2022, upon receipt of requests from importers” , the CBIC circular mentioned.

Currently, containers can be imported duty-free provided they are re-exported within the next six months.

If they are not re-exported within six months or within the time limit set by the CBIC, import duties are levied on these containers.

When the deadly second wave of COVID-19 hit India in April-May last year, there was a massive increase in demand for oxygen and the government took a host of measures to increase availability. National Medical Oxygen.