Fines of up to VND 120,000,000 for purchasing or selling liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) bottles failing to meet the conditions for circulation on the market in Vietnam

Fines of up to VND 120,000,000 for purchasing or selling liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) bottles failing to meet the conditions for circulation on the market in Vietnam (Internet image)

Article 44 of Decree 99/2020/ND-CP stipulates penalties for violations against regulations on gas trading committed by gas exporters, gas importers and gas producing and processing entities in Vietnam as follows:

- A fine ranging from VND 20,000,000 to VND 40,000,000 shall be imposed for any of the following violations:

+ Failure to report the distribution system, trademarks, gas import, export and trading on the market to the Ministry of Industry and Trade or failure to do so within the prescribed time limit;

+ Failure to include adequate information about bottled LPG in the logbook or electronic database applying information technology to monitor bottled LPG sold to other LPG traders or users: owner, bottle type, bottle serial number, bottle inspection date, name and address of the purchaser or user and delivery date of bottled LPG;

+ Blending gas without undertaking to make sure that the quality of additives does not affect the safety of humans, animals, plants, environment and gas quality as prescribed.

- A fine ranging from VND 40,000,000 to VND 60,000,000 shall be imposed for any of the following violations:

+ Failure to provide or hire an organize to provide training in safety techniques to employees at the gas trading establishment as prescribed;

+ Employing the manager or staff who has not been trained in safety techniques and fire safety as prescribed to work at the gas trading establishment;

+ Failure to develop a safety management program, a risk assessment report and an emergency response plan as prescribed;

+ Trading bottled LPG without preparing a logbook or developing an electronic database applying information technology to monitor bottled LPG sold to other LPG traders or users.

- A fine ranging from VND 60,000,000 to VND 80,000,000 shall be imposed for any of the following violations:

+ Failure to carry out technical inspection of occupational safety as prescribed of LPG bottles, gas tanks, LPG-fueled auxiliary equipment, LNG and CNG trading auxiliary equipment owned by traders as prescribed;

+ Failure to stipulate selling prices for gas and bottled LPG offered to traders in the network under the management as prescribed;

+ Selling gas or bottled LPG to traders who fail to fully satisfy the gas trading conditions as prescribed.

- A fine ranging from VND 80,000,000 to VND 120,000,000 shall be imposed for any of the following violations:

+ Failure to carry out inspection, maintenance and replacement of LPG bottles and gas-fueled auxiliary equipment which are not safe for users;

+ Illegally impounding, purchasing, selling, exchanging, storing or collecting LPG bottles which are not under ownership without concluding an LPG bottle sale contract or LPG bottle lease contract or without reaching an agreement on exchanging LPG bottles with the owner, except for case where a filling service provider is hired;

+ Purchasing or selling LPG bottles and bottled LPG failing to meet the conditions for circulation on the market.

More details can be found in Decree 99/2020/ND-CP, issued on August 26, 2020.

Le Vy

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