KARACHI: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Immigration has imposed a Rs1.5 million fine on the local agent of a cargo vessel that arrived from Oman after detecting serious violations of Pakistan’s immigration laws.
According to an FIA spokesperson, the commercial vessel MT Sana reached Karachi Port, where immigration officials carried out a routine inspection of the ship and its crew before granting immigration clearance.
During scrutiny of the crew’s travel documents, officials found serious irregularities involving three crew members. Two Yemeni nationals were carrying expired seafarer books, while an Egyptian crew member was found in possession of a suspicious and unrelated Belize-issued seafarer book.
Following the violations, FIA officials issued a show-cause notice to the vessel’s master and sought an explanation. However, the master failed to produce valid and legal documents for the crew members during the inspection.
The spokesperson said the vessel’s master later submitted a written explanation admitting to the immigration violations.
Taking action over the breach of immigration laws and international maritime protocols, the FIA imposed a Rs1.5 million fine on the vessel’s local agent, which will be deposited into the national exchequer.
The FIA said monitoring of foreign crew members and their travel documents at Karachi ports has been further tightened, adding that a zero-tolerance policy will remain in place against suspicious or illegal documentation.
