Karachi: The implementation of new procedures for the movement and clearance of cargo containers has led to a significant backlog at various ports in Karachi. Over 1,000 containers were stuck at key terminals, but recent efforts have begun to alleviate the situation.
The Directorate of Transit Trade and Customs Enforcement introduced these new procedures to regulate the movement of containers in transshipment, transit trade, and inter-port activities.
According to the updated guidelines, containers must be loaded onto trucks in a manner that keeps the container gates inaccessible.
However, a lack of crane availability at the Export Processing Zone (EPZ), where containers are typically examined without being unloaded from trucks, caused operations to halt.
Consequently, investors at EPZ stopped bringing containers, resulting in a three-day disruption that left hundreds of containers stranded at Karachi International Container Terminal (KICT), Pakistan International Container Terminal (PICT), South Asia Pakistan Terminals (SAPT), and Port Qasim.
Additional Director Moin Afzal intervened by securing an order from the Director General of Transit Trade, allowing the dispatch of the stranded containers. Despite limited resources, Afzal is managing the emergency situation by temporarily adjusting container loading practices to facilitate examination while containers remain on trucks.
EPZ has been instructed to procure the necessary equipment urgently. The most severe issues are reported at SAPT, where space constraints for container grounding have led to agitation among drivers and clearing agents.
Customs Enforcement has implemented the new procedures for Afghan transit trade, but transshipment procedures for cities like Peshawar, Lahore, Sialkot, Islamabad, and Quetta remain problematic, with consignments still awaiting clearance.
With only 144 sepoys available, Customs Enforcement faces the daily challenge of managing around 250 containers for transshipment, transit trade, and EPZ. Trucks now travel in convoys of 10-15 vehicles, escorted by a single sepoy. However, maintaining convoy order has proven difficult.
The Class-4 Association of Sepoys has expressed concerns about their safety, given the prevailing law and order situation. They have called on authorities to provide additional security measures. Chief Collector Enforcement Basit Abbasi, Collector Enforcement Moinuddin Wani, Additional Collector Muhammad Basit, and Deputy Collector Raza Naqvi have devised a foolproof system, but staffing shortages continue to pose challenges. The clearance of transshipment cargo is still stopped.
An official emphasized the importance of conducting examinations of transshipment consignments in Karachi for at least three months, suggesting that an order to this effect should be issued. Examination reports from Karachi could then be shared with dry ports across the country.
Pakistan is witnessing an unprecedented turnaround, driven by a crackdown on corruption and smuggling, and reforms in the IRS and Customs, such as the FCA. An official noted that the economy, previously reliant on black money, is now transitioning to white money. The credit for these reforms goes to the military establishment, which has played a crucial role in this transformation.