Functions and benefits of ICDs/CFSs/AFSs - CBEC's Customs Manual 2023 - Customs

3. Functions and benefits of ICDs/CFSs/AFSs 3.1. The primary functions of ICD/CFS/AFS include receipt and dispatch/delivery of cargo, stuffing and stripping of containers, transit operations by rail/road to and from serving ports; customs clearance, consolidation and desegregation of loose Container Load (LCL) cargo, temporary storage of cargo and containers, reworking of containers; and maintenance and repair of container units. 3.2. ICD/CFS/AFS, inter alia, offer the following benefits to the trade, namely, serving as concentration points for long distance cargo movement and transit facility, making available customs clearance facility available near the centers of production and consumption free movement of cargo at gateway ports and decongesting the ports, reducing the costs of transport, inventory, demurrage and level of pilferage; enabling intermodal transshipments repositioning of containers for shipping lines.