The American Chamber of Commerce in the DR says that the contract signed with ICSSI for the exclusive installation of X-ray cameras in Dominican ports for container surveillance violates the Constitution, on the grounds that it bans private monopolies. The contract establishes what have been described as “exorbitant” fees for the trade monitoring service.
The executive vice president of the American Chamber of Commerce, William Malamud says that the exorbitant fees that the company proposes to charge would affect the country’s competitiveness and violate several international agreements.
As reported in El Dia, the contract establishes a payment of US$110 per container checked by the system and every year around 500,000 containers pass through Dominican ports. Malamud said that containers that had been subject to the system would not be fast-tracked into the US given the way the contract was originally obtained from the Dominican government.
Teddy Heinsen, president of the National Shippers Association has also criticized the ICCSI deal signed during the government of President Hipolito Mejia (2000-2004). He maintains that monitoring of containers should be carried out within the framework of international agreements and guidelines of Business Alliance for Secure Commerce (BASC) and Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT).
www.eldia.com.do/nacionales/2013/2/6/106326/Camara-Americana-de-Comercio-dice-contrato-es-lesivo-al-pais