KARACHI, Jan 3: Large export consignments of textile quota categories could not be shipped within quota year 2003 because shipping lines failed to accommodate a large number of containers against booked space before December 31, 2003.

As a result of this, a large number of containers were shut out by the vessels calling country's ports during the last days of the out-going year, which also brought to an end the quota year 2003, exporters said.

"A large number of Letters of Credit (LCs) have expired and we have to suffer colossal loss in term of quotas which may cost from one million to two million rupees per container," lamented chairman Pakistan Knitwear and Sweater Exporters Association (Paksea) Anis Marfani.

Furthermore, he said this loss would also have its implication in coming years, particularly when exporters would be deprived of quotas given on the basis of performance of the previous year.

The chairman, Paksea, said that their members have complained that huge quantity of quota category could not be shipped in time as a large number of containers were shut out by a leading shipping lines on December 30, 2003, at the Port Qasim.

Giving details, Anis Marfani said that a vessel, "Maersk Avon" had to shut out around 168 containers of quota category textile goods and about 200 containers of general cargo on Dec 30, 2003, as the vessel's capacity was only to load 700 containers.

Mr Marfani further said that the containers left unloaded on Dec 30, 2003, was loaded in another vessel, 'Saif Marine' and with a gap of four days, on January 3, 2004.

He said the actual space booked by exporters with the shipping line was for a larger vessel having a loading capacity of up to 1100 containers but a smaller vessel reported at PQA on Dec 30, 2003, resulting in shutting out of large number of containers.

Similar case had been with other leading shipping lines who call at country's ports. This has become annual feature which causes huge financial as well as market loss to exporters who fail to deliver goods in time and have to suffer on two accounts.

Though the shipping lines are squarely responsible for this loss caused by delay in shipment of quota category consignments, the most unfortunate part is that even officials such as chairman Quota Supervisory Council (QSC) refused to help exporters by taking up the issue with shipping lines.

Responding to a question, Mr Marfani said, "I asked the QSC chairman to sort out the matter at his level but he refused and suggested that the exporters should take it at their level with the shipping companies."

He said that when he took the matter with the highest officials of the shipping lines they blankly refused to compensate against the damages caused by their inability to haulage the containers within given time.