The Port of New Orleans’s two main container terminals will hold off, for now, collecting an additional fee from shippers on loaded containers after receiving a complaint about the additional cost from port customers, reports the Journal of Commerce.
Ports America Louisiana, the operator of the Napoleon Avenue Marine Terminal, says it has temporarily delayed collecting a $25 fee per loaded container that was set to begin May 3. It did not indicate whether it would begin collecting the fee at a later date. The announcement came two days after New Orleans Terminal (NOT) said it would delay until July 1 the collection of its own $25 per container fee it had also planned to implement May 3.
In a March 30 notice about the new fee, Ports America said the funds would be used for fixing the terminal’s concrete and upgrading its technology to meet expanding requirements of the international shipping and supply chain. Importers, however, say they’re already grappling with rising ocean rates, which can be as much as $7,000 to $8,000 per container from Southeast Asia and are nearly double the levels seen last year. See the full story.
