We have been advised that under Tanzania law, any party importing cargo into the country must submit to the Tanzania Customs Authority a proof of valuation of the cargo to be imported. 

This allows the appropriate import duty to be paid prior to the release of the cargo.

Should a consignee submit a reduced cargo valuation, which is accepted by Customs, then any subsequent claim lodged in Tanzania for damage or loss of the cargo can only be based on the valuation provided by the consignee.In such incidents, even though the shipper is unaware of the consignees' action, they cannot seek the full compensation of the cargo's value.The only way to prevent this practice is for a shipper to submit a cargo valuation declaration to the Dar-es-Salaam Harbour Port Authority and to the carriers' agent in Dar-es-Salaam.We advise all Members to make their commercial departments aware of this new regulation.

Source of Information:

M Hawkins - Signum services