Thousands of Nato containers stuck at Port Qasim

[Naveed Yaseen]

ISMAIL DILAWAR
KARACHI (May 01 2009): Thousands of Afghanistan bound containers, carrying heavy machinery, tanks, trucks etc, for the belligerent Nato troops, are stuck at Qasim International Container Terminal (QICT). Meanwhile, the US government has announced Rs 0.6 million compensation to any driver/cleaner/helper who dies in case of any militant ambush on the Nato (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) vehicles destined for the neighbouring landlocked Afghanistan.

According to sources, terminal owners in Peshawar have recently reached an agreement that they would not handle 'bed flat containers' (BFCs), which are considered to be a hot target for the militants. BFCs are specially built topless containers that are used for the transportation of heavy goods, like tanks, trucks, machinery etc, to the Afghanistan based US-led Nato forces.

The source said that around 1,500-2,000 Afghanistan bound BFCs were awaiting transportation at QICT, where no sufficient space was available for the storage of containers, particularly the imported ones.

They said that though some of the containers, carrying Nato supplies, were being lifted the QICT management seemed unlikely to seek a permanent solution to the longstanding problem. The sources said that like Pakistan International Container Terminal (PICT) and Karachi International Container Terminal (KICT), who had acquired PMS Yard and MTO Yard respectively, the QICT should also build a container yard with enough space for the storage of unlifted containerised cargo.

http://www.brecorder.com/index.php?id=33338