A SUDDEN surge in bookings, particularly from South East Asia/Indian Sub-Continent to Australia and New Zealand, and, to a lesser extent in the opposite direction, has prompted a stack of GRI, PSS and RR notifications in the last week.
The situation has been inflamed by last week’s announcement by MSC that it is abandoning both of its SEA-Oceania services, Capricorn and kiwi, from later this month.
Somewhat curiously, given the MSC Capricorn and Kiwi services on which it slot-charters terminate a little over a week later, ZIM says “with the present market condition and to sustain the level of service to our customers, we have independently decided to implement a Rate Restoration from South East Asia to Australia and New Zealand”, on 16 August of US$500/TEU for dry and reefer.
One day earlier, from 15 August, ANL will be implementing a rate restoration program from at US$300/TEU dry/reefer & US$600/FEU dry/reefer for all shipment from North East Asia to Australia East Coast, Fremantle, Adelaide & New Zealand. This increase will apply on top of current Spot/FAK rates subject to all applicable surcharges valid on time of shipment.
In what it says is “a continued effort to provide our customers with best reliable and efficient service and due to the imbalance between supply and demand”, ANL will increase the existing Peak Season Surcharge (PSS) for all 20’ dry cargo shipments, starting 1 September to US$700, from Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Tasmania to Middle East and Gulf, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Mundra, Nhava Sheva, Visakhapatnam and Tuticorin. All other remaining PSS in place effective 1 of August PSS will remain, for Australia to Asia, Indian Subcontinent, Middle East and Gulf.
Also on 1 September ANL will apply a GRI of US$500/TEU dry/reefer and 1000/FEU dry/reefer from New Zealand to Indian Subcontinent, Middle East and Gulf, while to South East Asia the GRI will be US$100/TEU dry/reefer and 200/FEU dry/reefer.
Maersk Line is revising its Asia-Oceania PSSs as follows:
For the scope: China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Vietnam, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Timor Leste, to Australia, New Zealand, Fiji Islands, French Polynesia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands with the effective date 15 August;
For the scope: China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Vietnam, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Timor Leste, Taiwan to American Samoa with the effective date 1 September;
For the scope: Taiwan to Australia, New Zealand, Fiji Islands, French Polynesia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands with the effective date 1 September.
The quantum varies according to destinations and container types and ranges between US$250 and $2000 and is available here.
Neptune Pacific Direct Line is implementing a rate restoration program from Asia/ China/India/Latin America/ Africa and the Middle East to the South Pacific. This will be applied to all cargo loaded from above origins from the 1 September and will be US$450/TEU dry & reefer, 900/FEU dry & reefer.
On the same date NPDL is introducing a PSS from New Zealand to the South Pacific (excluding Cook Islands). The charge will be US$275/TEU dry & reefer, 550/FEU dry & reefer.
Also on 1 September NPDL’s Terminal Handling Charge for New Zealand exports and imports will be adjusted reflecting increases in cargo handling costs at Ports of Auckland and Tauranga. The revised rates are as follows: NZ$460/TEU dry, 580/FEU dry, 550/TEU reefer, 665/FEU reefer, 26/tonne breakbulk. The line says it will also have to apply a new charge called the Auckland Terminal Infrastructure Levy on all cargo loaded/unloaded on the NZPAC service at that port. “We have previously absorbed this cost however, to maintain current levels of service we will need to pass on this cost,” NPDL says. The levy will be NZ$50/TEU.
OOCL has announced its new import and export terminal handling charges for Australian ports, effective 15 August/1 September, and available here.
