The streamlining of ports and shipping related issues in line with the recommendations made by the National Trade Corridor Improvement Programme (NTCIP) was discussed at a high level meeting held here on Saturday.
According to the working paper prepared by the Ministry of Ports and Shipping, Directorate General (Ports and Shipping), reports on ports bench marking shall be prepared by the World Bank.
Secretary, Ports and Shipping, Ziaur Rehman presided over the meeting which was attended by high officials of ports, shipping sector, Director General, Ports and Shipping and shipowners association.
The Trade Facilitation Committee, which was constituted under the NTCIP earlier, had two meetings, which were chaired by Secretary General, Revenues Division/Chairman, Central Board of Revenue (CBR).
It was pointed out that in the present day world, international trade and transport is not so simple. There is a need to simplify the port procedures to facilitate trade. The situation called for a system rationalisation of port procedures and documentation for international trade and fast movement of good in the port area.
The meeting was informed that most of the recommendations of the Task Force which was constituted to upgrade the procedures have been carried out by the ports and procedures have been simplified following the introduction of one window concept and IT system.
The efforts to simplify the port procedures and documentation had commenced with the constitution of the Task Force headed by the then Secretary, Communication in the year 1991 sponsored by the United Nations Conference of Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
The documentary reform task force and computer application recommended certain measures for adoption to simplify the procedures. Its report was published in December 1995 and the Government endorsed that ports, Port Qasim and Karachi Port adopt as quickly as possible the recommendations. Pakistani ports are now compatible to South Asian ports particularly Indian ports.
The question of exorbitant shipping charges by shipping lines and freight forwarders was also taken up by the meeting. It was pointed out that meetings had been held at the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to resolve this issue, but the end result is that shipping lines, shipping agents and other concerned firms are charging at will and no control has so far been enforced to rationalise legitimate charges.
The meeting was informed that Karachi Port had been very active in installation of IT system. However, Port Qasim has not yet reported any such initiative. It was decided that representatives of both the ports may be asked to give complete picture of the IT and EDI system installations and performance.
It was decided that the representatives of the ports might be asked to discuss the issue of possibility of 24 hours seven days a week working hours at ports. So far both ports have intimated that their ports were working day and night. A decision has to be taken on working on Sundays and other national holidays.