KARACHI: A meeting of All Pakistan Shipping Association (APSA) along with its members
was held at Customs House. The meeting was presided over the Additional Collector of Customs
(Preventive).
The chair started by welcoming the shipping lines.
Thereafter, the meeting proceeded as follow:
1. The Additional Collector of Customs (Preventive) greeted the members in the
meeting and went on to explain the module changes in filing the MBL/ HBL. The ADC
(Preventive) strictly told the members that the implementation of the module will be
exercised from 15th January, 2020 as per order given. He discussed the changes that
will be taking effect (i.e providing much more details related to owner’s of the
containers & their NTN numbers) & inquired the members to discuss their
reservations on it. He said that after the 15th of January the adding of manifestation
will be ceased if the NTN column will not be added and in such case the liability will
be upon the shipping line agent.
2. The Additional Collector Preventive further mentioned that any containers
lacking the requirement required for the container whether it is an empty container or
not will not be allowed to pass through the gates of the terminals. If any of the
shipping line will not provide the owners (container’s) NTN number then the system
will not allow to proceed further ahead which will result in container’s not being
entertained at the gates.
3. For containers those will arrive on 15th or after 15th of Jan 2020. Shipping line will
liable to submit Export declaration in WeBOC only. There is no clear guideline regarding
the old containers which are already discharges or will discharge till 14th Jan, 2020.
Customs will impose fine to shipping line if any Empty container stuck at terminal gate
due to un-availability of Export declaration in WeBOC. Customs will impose 1 M to 1.5 M
per container. For Export Empty declaration in WeBOC currently there is no facility for
bulk upload. PRAL team will try to find some solution for bulk uploading in WeBOC. But
currently shipping agents will able to update it by container in WeBOC one by one by
key.
4. One of the shipping member asked the ADC if the container is of any other
Associates belonging to Afghan side then what shall be provided instead of the NTN
numbers. In reply to this question, ADC clarified that NTN number still had to be
entered but customs department will provide a nominal (default) number which will
deal with such foreign containers as in this way we will be able to identify and deal
with containers of Pakistan only.
5. Another shipping member suggested that implementation date of 15th January
2020 is very near and is not practically possible to comply perfectly within the given
short period of time instead we shall use this module for the trial basis initially & then
make compulsory later on. The ADC replied that this is not the way how systems get
implemented in Pakistan, software implementation all over the world is different & in
Pakistan is different. Here we implement first and then deal with the outcome later &
Now we have been given direct instructions by the government to implement this
module from 15th January 2020 and therefore we shall not debate on this matter any
further.
6. An attendee raised his concerns that there are lot of bulk containers at present
that is required to be uploaded with their required details and could not be update in
these 7 days & will take further processing, the ADC preventive replied that “ there is
lack of employment in our country so hire 3 to 4 more employee to complete this
work and avoid the penalty.
7. The ADC instructed APSA to forward this message to all shipping lines and
Terminal for necessary information and compliance
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