KARACHI: Mitsui O.S.K Lines Pakistan Pvt Ltd approached the Sindh High Court (SHC) for removal of all containers from respective container terminals namely Karachi International Containers Terminal (KICT), South Asia Pacific Terminal (SAPT) and Sea Board Service (SBS) to customs yard warehouse and thereafter dyestuff the containers and then auction or destroy the goods.
On December 13, 2018, counsel for the petitioner stated in his petition that petitioners carry on the business of shipping agent for its principals based in Japan and in their capacity of the shipping agents, entered various vessels of their principals in the Port of Karachi during last 11 years and filed import manifest (IMG) with customs for charges carried on board these ships for import and export.
Counsel further argued that petitioners also filed undertakings with respondents in respect of various containers, in which the goods carried were stuffed to the effect that said containers would re-exported by them within two weeks of their being discharged as per customs procedure/rules.
He stated that during the last 11 years, numbers of consignments were not cleared by the consignee as a result the containers with charges stuffed in them remained stacked at the yards of various containers terminals namely KICT, SAPT and SBS and became subject to accrual of storage charges payable to the respective container terminals.
The counsel said that number of containers are stuffed with food stuff, which being perishable item, have with efflux of time almost certainly putrefied and are no longer fit for human consumption and hence as per section 83 (a) customs act ought to have been destroyed by customs, however, being aggrieved by inaction of the customs officials in removing the containers to customs yard and subsequent auction of the goods contained in the containers and the petitioners, not having any adequate efficacious and expeditious remand under the law.
Citing Collector of Customs Appraisement East, West and Secretary Economic Affairs as respondents, petitioner pleaded the court to immediately remove all containers from respective container terminal namely KICT, SAPT and SBS to customs yard/ warehouse and thereafter dyestuff the containers and then auction or destroy the goods, as the case may be, according to relevant provisions of customs act.
