Karachi:
In the Karachi International Container Terminal (KICT), serious delays in the ground connection of the containers, which now take five to six days instead of the standard 24 hours, have severely interrupted the authorization of customs and the delivery of more than 450 import containers. These include shipments of industrial raw materials, grains, fabrics and other essential goods. The current accumulation is creating important bottlenecks of the supply chain and increases import -related expenses.
The president of the Association of Customs Agents of Pakistan, Arshad Khurshid, said that repeated written reminders sent to Kict Management have not been able to produce significant improvements. He identified the terminal congestion and poor operational management as the root causes of delays. “When a container has to wait five or six days just for the customs exam, the entire liquidation system begins to collapse,” he said.
As a result, importers are now loaded with millions of rupees in detention charges and avoidable delays. Khurshid also pointed out that the delays persist even after the authorization of Customs, with containers that are often maintained for two or three additional days for reuito and final delivery.
He also pointed to bad sequence and handling after the container’s ground connection. In some cases, importers are forced to organize double deliveries due to mismanagement in the terminal.
Khurshid asked Kict Management to complete the base of the container within 24 hours, guarantee after cleaning and optimize disqualification, examination and remains processes.
