Pakistan arranges 100pc box scanning at Karachi

US customs has begun talks with Pakistan on expanding a pilot programme for 100 per cent US-bound container screening at the Port of Karachi having enjoyed success at the nearby Qasim.

Pakistani officials are happy with the Qasim test results and want to test Karachi, according to Rich DiNucci, director of the secure freight initiative project of the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency.

The Port of Qasim, reports American Shipper, was one of seven ports the US Congress wanted included in the CBP tests to study the feasibility of 100 per cent x-ray imaging and radiation detection of all containers bound for the US.

The agency has already has submitted two reports which warn that the 100 per cent scanning is only possible at ports with low volumes to the US such as Qasim, Southampton and Puerto Cortes in Honduras.

But at larger ports taking x-rays and radiation readings of every container is not practical because of the expense and logistical challenges of setting up inspection zones in ports without disrupting normal commercial cargo flows.

Some countries see congressional indifference to these problems as moves towards covert protectionism and the setting up of non-tariff trade barriers to impede trade.

Smaller scale operations are still worth it, said US Customs. If we apply this to high-risk corridors, I think this will be a tremendous tool for DHS and CBP, said US Customs Commissioner Ralph Basham.