Singapore adds new substances covered by Chemical Weapons Prohibition Act 
On May 6, 2020, Singapore Customs announced the addition of substances to be regulated under Chemical Weapons (Prohibition) Act. There are four substances to be added, including certain carbamates. The amendments are made by the Chemical Weapons (Prohibition) Act (Amendment of Schedule) Order 2020. The order was published in the Government Gazette on May 6, 2020 and comes into operation on June 7, 2020.
The original text of the Chemical Weapons (Prohibition) Act (Amendment of Schedule) Order 2020 can be downloaded from the following URL.
https://sso.agc.gov.sg/SL-Supp/S365-2020/Published/20200506?DocDate=20200506&ViewType=Pdf&_=20200506143744
The amendments are made in response to the amendments to the Annex (addition of controlled substances to Schedule 1A) adopted at the 24th Session of the Conference of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), held in The Hague, Netherlands, from November 25 to 29, 2019. That was the first addition of a controlled substance since the CWC came into force. The addition was made in order to make the new nerve agent Novichok, which was used in the United Kingdom in March 2018, subject to regulation.
Companies engaged in the manufacture, processing, consumption, import/export, storage, and domestic sales and distribution of the substances added by the latest amendment must obtain a license from Singapore Customs, the National Authority (NA) which has jurisdiction over the CWC (hereinafter referred to as “NA (CWC)”) after the effective date. In addition to a license, a permit is required for each import and export.
In Singapore, carbamates had been regulated as hazardous substances under the Environmental Protection and Management Act (EPMA) and its subordinate regulations. After the effective date, the NA (CWC) will be the competent authority for the added types of carbamates (quaternaries and bisquaternaries of dimethylcarbamoyloxypyridines) and they will no longer need to be processed under the EPMA administered by National Environment Agency (NEA). For other carbamates, procedures under EPMA will continue to be necessary.
For the import and export of these substances, it is necessary to declare the HS codes and product codes set by Singapore Customs and NEA on TradeNet. These codes can be found in the Annex of Circular No: 04/2020 at the following URL.
https://www.customs.gov.sg/news-and-media/circulars/2020-05-06-Circular042020.pdf
The full list of substances covered by the Chemical Weapons (Prohibition) Act can be found at the following URL.
https://www.customs.gov.sg/documents/businesses/Guide_to_NACWC_Lic_-_with_Sch_Chem_List-(2020).pdf
