Price controls eyed for shipping rates

The Department of Trade and Industry has proposed to regulate the rates being slapped by international shipping lines, some of which reportedly continue to impose higher and additional charges due to allegedly congested local ports.

Trade Undersecretary Victorio Mario A. Dimagiba said they are looking creating something similar to the Energy Regulatory Commission, which means that a designated agency will have to study and approve any changes in the rates before these can be implemented to ensure that such charges are reasonable.

“The DTI, which sits as a member of the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) board will submit a proposal for Marina to study the legal basis for regulating shipping charges of international shipping lines,” Dimagiba said.

As of May 1, 12 major shipping lines, which carry as much as 80 percent of the inbound container cargo, have already lifted the port congestion surcharge, which starts at roughly $200 per twenty foot container.

However, there are additional charges including the surcharges for emergency cost recovery, ranging from $150 to $300; container imbalance, which spiked to as much as $250 this year from only $100 in 2014; equipment positioning services at $150; container cleaning fee which now stood at P1,000; documentation fees at $50; and terminal handling at P5,645. Amy R. Remo