KARACHI: The Berth No 15/16 of the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) has been occupied by US vessel named MV Liberty Promise for four days to ship 22 NATO/ISAF containers. The containers will be brought from Afghanistan.
The US vessel anchored at KPT on February 2, at 11:45am carrying military hardware, including heavy vehicles for NATO/ISAF forces present in Afghanistan.
According to the source, containers from the vessel have been unloaded but the vessel is ordered not to sail until 22 containers arriving from the Afghanistan carrying some undisclosed goods are loaded on it. Out of 22 container 21 have arrived at the port area and are under a very tight security clearance whereas the remaining one container is stuck at Nooriabad due to the vehicle carrying it got some problem.
Customs officers along with other law enforcement forces showing some concern are examining the said twenty one NATO/ISAF force containers with extra ordinary inspection present at the port area.
Customs officers and other law enforcement forces are seemed unsatisfied over systematically scanned procedure to the fifteen NATO/ISAF force containers and now have called sniffer dogs to examine them thoroughly, source added. Sniffer dogs are trained to detect substances such as explosives, illegal drugs, wildlife scat, currency or the blood using its senses.
It is still unclear till when the stuck one NATO/ISAF container will be able to reach the port area, on the other hand the security clearance of the all twenty two containers will be finished. The container will only be allowed to be load on the US vessel MV Liberty Promise after complete security clearance and satisfaction of Customs officers as well as other law enforcement forces, the source informed.
