What infrastructures are necessary to be in a CFS facility to run its operation effectively?
A CFS is a facility where containers are stuffed, de-stuffed, and import/export cargo is separated. Customs clearance of goods for home consumption, warehousing, temporary admissions, re-export, temporary storage for onward transit, and outright export and transhipments all take place at such stations. There are few procedures that has to be adhered to start a CFS operation. An Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) comprised of officials from the Ministries of Commerce, Finance (Dept. of Revenue), Railways, and Shipping must approve the establishment of a CFS. If necessary, the state government’s viewpoint is also sought.
Images of CFS container Lift On/Off operation taking place.
A CFS should basically have the below following infrastructure in its compound:
- CFS separate Gate for In & Out CFS to have an entry point for gate-in and an exit point for truck and trailer movement to gate-in & out the containers.
- Weigh Bridge 45/60/80ton digital weigh bridge close to the entry point. The CFS to possess another weigh bridge as standby.
- CFS Warehouse Separate warehouse earmarked for storing Export and Import goods.
4. Containers are stacked at the CFS container yard as per following category:
- Public Notice Register (PNR) are the containers, awaiting customs official’s inspection/examination are stacked together separately at container yard.
- Examination-completed containers are stacked separately at container yard.
- Inspection/examination area to be demarcated within the container yard.
- Seized containers are stacked in such a place within the vicinity of the CFS official. These containers are stuck with fluorescent stickers for deflection at night and advised to be chained at the four hook point of the container, so that erroneous delivery of seized containers by reach-stackers are averted during night activit
