ISLAMABAD, Aug 1: The Central Board of Revenue (CBR) has withdrawn central excise duty (CED) on sludge or sediment recovered from the storage tanks of incoming vessels including ships brought in for breaking.

The decision was taken on the recommendations of the environmental groups, said a CED notification issued on Friday.

An official source in the CBR told Dawn that earlier, the sludge of furnace oil was exempted from CED.