‘FCL charges must be publicised’

KARACHI: The Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) has urged the terminal operators and shipping agents to publicise full container load (FCL) and less than container load (LCL) charges on their websites to facilitate trade and industry, a statement said on Friday.

Referring to numerous complaints submitted at the chamber by importers, KCCI President Agha Shahab Ahmed Khan said that it has been observed that terminal operators and shipping agents do not share the breakup of charges even on demand and seek aggregate amount decided whimsically, which was highly unfair, as the relevant traders are totally unaware of what exactly was being charged under what label.

“Access to such information is the fundamental right and a fair demand of the importers who are carrying out legitimate businesses and timely paying all their taxes,” he said. The Ministry of Maritime Affairs must look into this issue and order the terminal operators and shipping agents to share breakup of charges with importers, which would certainly be appreciated by the business community.

Khan said that Pakistan’s sea port charges were one of the highest in the South Asian region, which discourages cost efficient shipping lines from taking cargo to and from Pakistan, resulting in a demand / supply gap and higher transportation costs for the traders.