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Salgaocar Engineers Private Ltd. v. Shri O.J.F Gomes, Asst. Collector Of Customs
Factual and Procedural Background
A significant quantity of mineral ore is exported from the port of Marmagoa, where the draught is insufficient for bulk carriers to be fully loaded at the quay-side. To address this, transhippers—vessels anchored mid-stream—are employed. Barges bring mineral ore to these transhippers, which then use their equipment to top up bulk carriers alongside them. The ‘Gosalia Prospect’ is one such transhipper.
On October 23, 1979, spare parts intended for the ‘Gosalia Prospect’ arrived at Marmagoa. The petitioners, appointed as Receivers of the ‘Gosalia Prospect’ through court proceedings, sought clearance of these spares without payment of customs duty under s. 87 of the Customs Act, 1962, claiming the vessel was a foreign-going vessel entitled to duty exemption. Customs authorities, by letters dated November 17 and 24, 1979, required payment of customs duty before clearance, contending the vessel was only used for uptopping operations within the port.
The petition filed on February 21, 1980 challenged this requirement. The petitioners argued that the ‘Gosalia Prospect’ was equipped as a foreign-going vessel and capable of carrying goods outside India, thus qualifying for exemption under the Customs Act. However, it was acknowledged that a prior judgment by the Judicial Commissioner on December 30, 1980, held that transhippers were not foreign-going vessels as they did not carry goods or passengers between Indian and foreign ports.
Legal Issues Presented
- Whether a transhipper vessel engaged in up-topping operations within the port qualifies as a "foreign-going vessel" under s. 2(21) of the Customs Act, 1962.
- Whether the ‘Gosalia Prospect’ is entitled to clearance of imported spares without payment of customs duty based on its status as a foreign-going vessel.
- The correct interpretation of the term "foreign-going vessel" in the context of vessels acting as intermediaries in the carriage of goods between Indian and foreign ports.
Arguments of the Parties
Petitioners' Arguments
- The ‘Gosalia Prospect’ is a foreign-going vessel within the meaning of s. 2(21) of the Customs Act as it is equipped to carry goods outside India.
- A transhipper engaged in up-topping operations is effectively engaged in the carriage of mineral ore between the port of Marmagoa and a foreign port.
- The vessel is an intermediary in the carriage process and thus qualifies as a foreign-going vessel entitled to customs duty exemption under s. 87.
- Relied on the Division Bench judgment in Turner Morrison & Co. Ltd. v. The Assistant Collector of Customs for Exports, which held that a vessel engaged as an intermediary in carriage of goods between foreign and Indian ports qualifies as foreign-going.
Court's Counter-Arguments
- The interpretation of s. 2(21) requires that the vessel itself must be actually carrying goods or passengers between an Indian port and a foreign port at a given time.
- A plurality of vessels sharing the carriage process is not contemplated under the definition of foreign-going vessel.
- The ‘Gosalia Prospect’ functions merely as a floating quay or pier for transferring ore between barges and bulk carriers and is not engaged in carriage of goods.
- Expressed disagreement with the Division Bench judgment relied upon by the petitioners, favoring instead the view of a learned single Judge who rejected the broader interpretation.
Table of Precedents Cited
| Precedent | Rule or Principle Cited For | Application by the Court |
|---|---|---|
| Turner Morrison & Co. Ltd. v. The Assistant Collector of Customs for Exports | Definition of "foreign-going vessel" under s. 2(21) of the Customs Act; intermediate vessels engaged in carriage qualify as foreign-going vessels. | The Court respectfully disagreed with this precedent, holding that only vessels actually carrying goods or passengers between Indian and foreign ports at a given time qualify as foreign-going vessels. |
| Judgment of Judicial Commissioner (Dec 30, 1980) in Special Civil Application No. 2 of 1972 | Transhippers are not foreign-going vessels as they do not carry goods or passengers between Indian and foreign ports. | The Court accepted this precedent as binding, reinforcing the position that the ‘Gosalia Prospect’ is not a foreign-going vessel. |
| Judgment of Sabyasachi Mukharji, J. (single Judge) | Rejected broad interpretation of foreign-going vessel to include vessels acting as intermediaries; cautioned against absurd results. | The Court aligned with this reasoning, emphasizing that a vessel must itself carry goods or passengers between ports to qualify. |
Court's Reasoning and Analysis
The Court analyzed the definition of "foreign-going vessel" under s. 2(21) of the Customs Act, which requires a vessel to be "engaged in the carriage of goods or passengers between any port in India and any port outside India." The Court rejected the petitioners' argument that a vessel acting as an intermediary in the carriage process qualifies as foreign-going. It held that the statute contemplates only those vessels actually carrying goods or passengers on such voyages at a given time, not a plurality of vessels sharing the carriage.
The Court distinguished the Division Bench judgment of the Calcutta High Court, which took a broader view, and instead preferred the reasoning of a learned single Judge who cautioned against an interpretation that would render any vessel assisting in transhipment a foreign-going vessel, an outcome considered untenable.
Further, the Court characterized the ‘Gosalia Prospect’ as no more than a floating quay or pier facilitating the transfer of ore from barges to bulk carriers, and not engaged in carriage of goods itself, thus disqualifying it from the definition of foreign-going vessel.
Holding and Implications
The petition is dismissed with costs and the Rule discharged.
The direct effect of this decision is that the ‘Gosalia Prospect’ is not recognized as a foreign-going vessel under the Customs Act, and therefore the petitioners are not entitled to clearance of the spare parts without payment of customs duty. No new precedent was established; the Court reaffirmed existing interpretations limiting the scope of "foreign-going vessel" to vessels actually carrying goods or passengers between Indian and foreign ports.
Bharucha, J.:— A great deal of mineral ore is exported from the port of Marmagoa. The draught at this port is not sufficient for bulk carriers to be fully loaded at the quay-side. Ore exporters have, therefore, resorted to the expedient of employing what are called transhippers. These are vessels which are anchored mid-stream. To them barges bring mineral ore. Bulk carriers which have already been loaded as far as the draught permits at the quay-side are brought alongside the transhippers. The equipment of the transhippers, cranes and conveyor belts and such, tops up the bulk carriers with the ore brought by the barges. The ‘Gosalia Prospect’ is one such transhipper.
2. Certain spare parts arrived at Marmagoa on October 23, 1979. They were imported for the ‘Gosalia Prospect’. At this point of time the petitioners were Receivers of the ‘Gosalia Prospect’, having been appointed in certain court proceedings. The petitioners applied for clearance of the spares without payment of customs duty on the basis that the ‘Gosalia Prospect’ was a foreign-going vessel and that they were entitled to such clearance without payment of duty by reason of s. 87 of the Customs Act, 1962. By letters dated November 17, 1979 and November 24, 1979 the Customs authorities required the petitioners to make payment of customs duty prior to clearance of the spares contending that the ‘Gosalia Prospect’ was used only for uptopping operations within the port. On February 21, 1980 this petition was filed impugning the requirement of the letters of 17th and 24th November 1979. It is contended in the petition that the ‘Gosalia Prospect’ is fitted with all the equipment required for foreign-going vessels under law and is capable of carrying any goods outside India and it is, therefore, a foreign-going vessel within the meaning of the Customs Act. Mr. Kakodkar, learned counsel for the petitioners, fairly stated that it was not open to the petitioners now to so contend, because in a judgment delivered by the Judicial Commissioner on December 30, 1980 in Special Civil Application No. 2 of 1972 (and other petitions) it was held that transhippers were not foreign-going vessels because they were not engaged in carrying goods or passengers between any port in India and any port outside.
3. What is urged by Mr. Kakodkar is that a transhipper, while engaged in up-topping operations, is engaged in the carriage of mineral ore between the port of Marmagoa and a port outside India and is, therefore, a foreign-going vessel within the meaning of s. 2(21) of the Customs Act. Section 2(21) of the Customs Act reads as follows:—
“‘Foreign-going vessel or aircraft’ means any vessel or aircraft for the time being engaged in the carriage of goods or passengers between any port or airport in India and any port or airport outside India, whether touching any intermediate port or airport in India or not, and includes—
(i) any naval vessel of a foreign Government taking part in any naval exercises;
(ii) any vessel engaged in fishing or any other operations outside the territorial waters of India;
(iii) any vessel or aircraft proceeding to a place outside India for any purpose whatsoever.”
4. Emphasis is laid by Mr. Kakodkar upon the words used in the definition, “engaged in carriage of goods”. He submits that it is not necessary that a vessel must itself carry the goods between a port in India and a port outside. It is enough if that vessel is an intermediary in the process for it is then engaged in the carriage of goods between a port in India and a port outside. In his sub-mission, a transhipper is an intermediary in the process of the carriage of mineral ore from Marmagoa to a foreign port and is, thus, a foreign-going vessel.
5. Mr. Kakodkar finds support for his sub-mission in the judgment of a Division Bench of the Calcutta High Court in Turner Morrison & Co. Ltd. v. The Assistant Collector of Customs for Exports (II). This case concerned a vessel called ‘Nancy Dee’ which transported wheat imported under PL-480 aid from supertankers anchored within Indian territorial waters to Indian ports such as Paradip and Calcutta. It was contended that the Nancy Dee was actually engaged in the carriage of goods which the super-tankers should have carried to the Indian ports and was, therefore, a foreign-going vessel within the meaning of s. 2(21) of the Customs Act. The Division Bench came to the conclusion that s. 2(21) required the fulfilment of two conditions. One was that there must be carriage of goods or passengers between a foreign port and an Indian port and the second was that the vessel in question must be engaged in the carriage of such goods or passengers. The Division Bench observed that there was no requirement that only one vessel must undertake the entire length of the journey from the foreign port to the Indian port for such carriage of goods or passengers. Upon this basis the Division Bench concluded that the Nancy Dee was a foreign-going vessel within the meaning of s. 2(21).
6. With great respect to the learned Judges of the Division Bench of the Calcutta High Court, we are unable to agree. In our view by reason s. 2(21) only that vessel that is actually carrying at a given point of time goods or passengers between a port in India and a port outside India is a foreign-going vessel. A plurality of vessels for such carriage is not contemplated by s. 2(21).
7. We have with advantage been referred to the judgment of Sabyasachi Mukharji, J., the learned single Judge from whose judgment the owners of the Nancy Dee went in appeal. The learned Judge has taken a view akin to ours. He has quite rightly pointed out that the interpretation suggested by the owners of the Nancy Dee would lead to the unacceptable conclusion that any country boat which helped transhipment from the port to the ship would be a foreign-going vessel.
8. We may add that even if we were in agreement with the judgment of the division Bench of the Calcutta High Court, the petitioner would not succeed. A transhipper like the ‘Gosalia Prospect’ is no more than a floating quay or pier over which mineral ore brought by barges is loaded on to bulk carriers. It cannot be said to be engaged in the carriage of goods.
9. In the result, the petition is dismissed with costs. Rule discharged.
10. Rule discharged.
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