KARACHI: The trade and industry want waiver on demurrage from ports and private terminals to be extended for 10 days due to a delay in shipments caused by goods carriers’ strike.

In a letter to Minister for Ports and Shipping Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo, Chairman of Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry’s Standing Committee on Ports and Shipping Tariq Haleem quoted a precedent when the ministry gave 10-day waiver on demurrage in December 2012. The waiver applied on Karachi Port Trust and Port Qasim as well as private terminals.

He said the current waiver of five days was not enough and therefore the industry was seeking an extra 10 days. Goods’ carriers went on strike earlier his month against a Sindh High Court’s order banning the movement of heavy vehicles in Karachi. The industry said the strike led to losses worth billions of rupees as exports and imports halted and the supply of raw material to factories was disrupted.

Published in Dawn, May 24th, 2017