Congestion surcharge slapped on Manila cargo

Several international shipping lines servicing Manila's South Harbor and the Manila International Container Terminal (MICT) will be imposing a congestion surcharge starting this January, the Philippine International Seafreight Forwarders Association (PISFA) said.

The surcharge will be equivalent to US$ 50 for each TEU and $100 for each FEU for all inbound and outbound containers, reported the Philippines News Agency.

The fee is on top of the container imbalance charge (CIC) being collected by carriers for shipping empty containers out of Manila.

According to PISFA, foreign shipping companies made this decision due to the chronic traffic jam in the said ports which is preventing them from disembarking and loading cargoes immediately.

Meanwhile, congestion at the South Harbor and MICT has somewhat eased with operators of the two facilities sending some of their empty containers to their respective Batangas and Subic terminals.

Several shipping lines have also begun picking up their empties at South Harbor and the MICT. But it still requires five to eight hours for a truck to drop an empty container at any of the ports and about the same length of time to carry a laden container out of the port facilities.

PISFA said that several carriers have in fact begun imposing the congestion surcharge right after notifying the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) of such a charge.

"The greater burden will be shouldered by the public with the application of the new surcharge," PISFA said in a statement.

"Forwarders are also somewhat affected as we will pay for (the surcharge) without any guarantee of reimbursement from shippers," the group added. (PNA)
(Source:www.cargonewsasia.com)