The Global Shippers’ Forum (GSF) is planning to put an end container shipping surcharges within the next five years, the organization said during its annual meeting in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Specifically, GSF is eyeing an end to “the imposition of surcharges on shippers by 2020,” GSF Secretary General Chris Welsh said. The organization aims to achieve this goal through a series of actions that will “expose the scale and injustice of the practice to world trade bodies,” Welsh added.
GSF asserted that the justifications and scale of charges are growing, but the industry claims that they do not reflect the true costs of the services being provided.
For example, GSF cited members using the Asia -Europe trade routes are charged $250 per container, which can sometimes exceed the contracted price for shipment. Such arrangements make the management of total shipping costs unpredictable for cargo owners, GSF explained.
“Our campaign will expose the extent of surcharging and make it an issue in future trading agreements,” Welsh stated.
Further, he said that GSF “is determined to end these practices and restore visibility to shipping rates and confidence to shippers.”
