|
| |
|
|
| |
Formula One: How the cars came in
In 2008, the Formula One (F1) Grand Prix came to Singapore. The cars came and whizzed past at top speed. Held from 26 to 28 September 2008, the F1 Singapore Grand Prix generated great interest and excitement on the island. The public caught the races, the drivers and the beautiful cars. What was not seen was the work behind the scenes that facilitated the entry of the cars.
 |
| A special unit from Singapore Customs attending to customs matters as the cars enter Singapore for F1. |
|
The successful staging of the inaugural F1 Singapore Grand Prix was the result of a concerted multi-agency effort. Singapore Customs, which was represented in the F1 Traffic and Transport Sub-Committee, facilitated the import and export of all cargo associated with the race in Singapore. Other than the ten F1 teams competing in the main races, there were also support races involving about 60 high performance cars from Aston Martin, BMW and Porsche.
Singapore Customs showed its flexibility and allowed the temporary import of all the cars for the main and support races, tyres, spares, engines, nuts and bolts, as well as all equipment and tools for the maintenance and repair of the vehicles and other equipment for use in connection with the races. This enabled the goods to be imported into Singapore without payment of duty or Goods & Services Tax (GST), with the condition that the same goods were re-exported after the event.
 |
| Priority supervision was accorded by Singapore Customs for F1 shipments. |
|
Singapore Customs worked closely with the freight forwarders and handling agents appointed by the F1 management and the teams for the support races to facilitate the handling of permit declarations and cargo clearance matters to meet the demands of the various teams for speedy clearance of their cargo into and out of Singapore. Permit declarations, checkpoint clearance and related procedures were simplified, while priority supervision was given for F1 shipments. A special unit dedicated to attend to F1-related customs matters was deployed and this smoothened and sped up the customs procedures.
After the race, Singapore Customs received positive feedback from the forwarders and handling agents for their facilitation of the entry of all F1 vehicles and related items.
Ms Cecilia Ang, Customer Services and Overseas Manager for Mega-Air Pte Ltd, the appointed handling agent for all F1 cargo said, “Without the special facilitation, we would have definitely been unable to meet the F1 management’s demand for speed and special requests.”
Ms Kris Teo, Import Assistant Manager for Asian Groupage Services Pte Ltd (Singapore), the appointed handling agent for Aston Martin and Porsche, and Mr Robin Teoh, Air Freight Manager for Merstar International (S) Pte Ltd, the appointed handling agent for BMW, remarked that Singapore Customs responded very well to this major special event. The appointed agents were new to the Customs procedures involved since it was the first time a major race event was held in Singapore, and they were grateful for the thoughtful and informative facilitation provided by Singapore Customs.
The successful facilitation for the first F1 Singapore Grand Prix in 2008 marks a significant step forward in preparation for all future F1 races in Singapore as they will be back for the next six years. |
|
| Copyright © 2009
Singapore Customs. All Rights Reserved. |
|
|
|
