ISLAMABAD: A dispute between the Pakistan Customs and the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC), pertaining to the payment of duties on procurement of new vessels, has been resolved, the National Assembly Standing Committee on Ports and Shipping was told on Wednesday.
The committee met with Chairman Ghulam Mustafa Shah in the chair to get a briefing from PNSC on the purchase of new vessels and recent up-gradation of Pakistan Marine Academy (PMA).
In October 2015, the Ministry of Ports and Shipping had sought assistance from the standing committee to get customs duty of Rs 3 billion waived off which was levied on four tugboats. The PNSC procured four tugboats at the cost of $25 million four years ago.
However, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) levied customs duty of Rs 3 billion. Tugboats are used for maneuvering vessels by pushing or towing them. The tugboats are powerful for their size and strongly built, and some are ocean-going.
However, on Wednesday, PNSC chairman Arif Elahi briefed the committee that the rating of PNSC has been doubled and the load capacity had gone up to 700,000 ton. It was only due to the resolution of issue of duties which was a big hindrance in acquiring vessels had been resolved on the recommendation of standing committee. Now three ferry services are going to commence from Karachi to Port Qasim, Gwadar and Chah Bahar, Iran.
On the second agenda item, the committee efforts were lauded and appreciated by the Ministry and the Commandant PMA for taking interest in the up-gradation of PMA. Representatives of both the Ministry and PMA told the committee that up-gradation had been done in a short span of 14-months on the recommendations given by the Standing Committee.
But more support will be needed to make it at par with academies of the developed world. The Committee was told that 50-trainees under the Prime Minister Youth Skill Development Program have joined PMA with effect from January, 2017.
