Dry Ports

A dry port is an inland intermodal terminal directly connected by road or rail to a seaport and

operating as a centre for the Trans shipment of sea cargo to inland destinations The twelve customs dry ports in Pakistan are located in Hyderabad, Faisalabad, Islamabad, Lahore, Quetta, Gilgit-Baltistan, Peshawar, Lahore, Multan, Kasur and Sialkot. As the dry ports in Lahore, Sialkot, Faisalabad, Peshawar, Multan and other locations are operating below their potential most of the Customs staff at these posts remains idle, Dry ports established in major cities of the country to facilitate the upcountry businessmen remain inactive as clearance of goods at these ports remains so cumbersome that the monopoly by seaports is not disturbed. According to Saad Mukhtar, a Customs clearing agent Dry ports are proving to be a liability for the government, as the majority of importers are not using these facilities due to higher cost they are forced to incur and long delays in dispatch of goods intended for dry ports from Karachi or Port Qasim,

According to Aftab Vohra, a clearing agent and former vice president of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI). Partial use of the dry port facilities has denied the country of its actual trade potential, The dry ports were established to speed up the clearance of imported goods and quick dispatch of export cargo, the spirit behind this idea was to reduce the clearance cost and the time for clearance of goods for industries and traders operating in the upcountry. The goods that arrive at seaports of the country are cleared after examination by the Customs staff. The clearing agents stationed in Karachi or Port Qasim seaports ensure that the consignments of their clients are inspected and cleared speedily. This is the routine at all Customs clearance points around the world. In case of goods to be cleared at dry ports the procedure is far from ideal. The consignments meant for clearance at dry ports are not directly dispatched to the relevant dry port immediately after the arrival of the goods in Pakistan. Instead the consignment is first unloaded by the port handler in a truck that takes it to the port handlers storage facili ty where it is again unloaded. Then the bonded truck is allowed in the port premises where it is again loaded by the port handler.

The upcountry importer has to pay wharf age and storage charges to the port handler from Rs2, 500-3,000 for each loading and unloading of the container, the importer has to pay additional Rs15, 000-16,000 per container at the ports for goods that he intends to clear from an upcountry dry port. The importer then has to incur clearing expenses at the designated dry port, as well; if the importer gets the goods cleared at seaport he can dispatch them immediately to upcountry, which saves his time and money. According to Mukhtar a clearing agent: The responsibility of the delivery of goods at the designated port of clearance (whether seaport or dry port) is the responsibility of the shipping lines the world over. The shipping lines are better equipped than the private licensed transporters of Pakistan to ensure safe and intact delivery of goods to the designated port. This would not only speed up the delivery but also reduce cost, he said, adding that the dry ports would become active and congestion at seaports would be reduced. There is an anomaly in treatment of export consignments from dry ports, exports through sea are allowed after Customs clearance at the dry port through bonded carriers and the goods are directly loaded on the ship. Dr Asif Jah, additional collector of the Lahore Dry Port, said that things are improving at the dry ports and the number of consignments processed by the dry port has increased substantially in recent months. Most of the dry ports in the country were established specifically to bring and send the goods through Railways, uncertainty in dispatch of goods by trains resulted in lesser handling of cargo at the dry ports.