Port Qasim will soon have IC3 pilot project

Karachi: Pakistan is going to start construction of its first pilot project of Integrated Cargo Container Control (IC3) programme that would facilitate reduction of scanning cost of its cargoes destined to the United States and help control illegal transportation of arms, radioactive materials and narcotics.

Sources told on Thursday that the groundbreaking of country's first IC3 programme would start on Saturday in the proximity of Port Qasim Authority (PQA).

The PQA has allocated 10 acres land for IC3 programme, out of which five acres would be occupied for installation of scanning equipment and rest of the land to be reserved for container stacking yard.

By implementing this programme at PQA, Pakistan would have an edge over India for having trade security measures in place. The IC3 programme is implemented in 42 countries around the world.

This pilot project at PQA for scanning of commercial cargo would be operational in six-month period thus preventing to use containers for transportation of arms, radioactive materials and narcotics to the US.

The implementation of the IC3 at PQA will reduce the cost of country's exports to US. At present containers of Pakistani commercial cargo bound for US ports are being scanned at Hong Kong, Colombo and Salala causing extra financial burden on local exporters.

The facility of scanning of US bound containers at PQA will also save time for completing export orders of US buyers.

Pakistan is expecting further increase in exports to the US in future and the trade security measures to be implemented will help the country to safeguard its trade interests.

The US Customs will not subject the screened cargo to re-examination on arrival at US ports. The arrangements for implementing the IC3 Programme were earlier negotiated and finalised by senior customs officers of Pakistan and the US.

The IC3 programme envisages joint screening of US-bound containerised cargo from Pakistan via live video link by customs authorities of Pakistan and the US.

According to agreement, the government of Pakistan would safeguard its export's interests to US markets by ensuring the security arrangements of cargo containers at Pakistani ports.

The IC3 Programme will serve the purpose of Container Security Initiative (CSI) and Mega Port Initiative (MPI) of the US government to ensure secure cargo supply chain for the US in Pakistan.

The US authorities, after the terrorist attacks of September 11, had proposed its trading partners to comply with the Container Security Initiative (CSI) and Mega Port Initiative (MPI) for its internal security needs.

The implementation of the measures proposed in these two initiatives by the US government would enable Pakistan to have containerised cargo direct access to US ports.

The federal cabinet at its meeting held in mid-February this year had approved the Implementation of Integrated Cargo Container Control (IC3) Programme at Port Qasim.

In the first week of March this year, Pakistan and US had signed a Declaration of Principles on enhancing international maritime trade security under a bilateral initiative called the IC3 Programme.