Unclaimed goods left for more than two months at the ports will be sold at a public auction on Saturday, October 27 in accordance with the Customs Management and Duties Act No.6 of 2010 Section 52 (8).

The act states, “Goods deposited in a Customs warehouse shall be removed from that warehouse within two months from the dates of their deposit; and any goods not so removed may be sold.” The auction is sanctioned under Section 137 of the same legislation.

The importers of these unclaimed goods are advised to have them cleared by Friday, October 26, to avoid them being auctioned. They are also asked to present a bill of landing, invoice or any other relevant documentation. In addition, shipping fees or any other incidentals must be paid to the shipper of the goods before the Customs Department allows clearance.

Perishable good listed will not be auctioned, but will be disposed of due to the duration of time at the ports.

A copy of the list with all goods and importers’ names will be posted on bvi.gov.vg and other public forums.

The Public auction by Government is also guided by the Public Finance Management Regulations, Statutory Instrument No. 17 of 2005, Section 255.

The auction will be at the BVI Ports Authority Headquarters in Port Purcell at 9:00 a.m. For more information, contact Her Majesty’s Customs Headquarters at 468-6852.