Ship controls by Finnish Customs are a part of the enforcement of cross-border flows of goods

Ship controls by Customs serve to secure society, international trade and Finland’s safety. The aim of the controls which are based on risk profiling is to ensure that vessels arriving in Finland comply with import prohibitions and restrictions.

Ship controls are based on risk profiling and intelligence that form the basis for targeting controls. The objective is to uncover any possible attempts at smuggling, and to make sure compliance with the laws, prohibitions and restrictions relating to import, export and transit.

Controls by Customs cover many types of vessels from passenger ships to large tankers. Customs personnel who carry out ship controls use a variety of control methods and tools, for example dogs trained to detect narcotics. The most common findings comprise high-tax goods that have not been declared to Customs, as well as narcotics.

Customs carried out a ship control at the Port of Vaasa on 28 August. As concerns Customs, the ship control will not result in any further measures relating goods under prohibitions or restrictions.

– Ship controls comprise one of the demanding fields of enforcement tasks that Customs carries out. The complex structure of ships, their large size and various potential caches offer excellent possibilities for smuggling and make the work challenging. The facilities to be inspected can be cramped, dark and lacking of oxygen, says Director Mikko Grönberg.

The controls cover an extensive stretch of Finland’s coastline, as there are about 60 harbours between Kotka and Tornio, in addition to which there are the harbours in Åland. Specifically trained ship control teams are responsible for the controls and, when necessary, they cooperate with for example the Border Guard.