Container shipping to and from Kolkata/Haldia is set to become more expensive as the feeder operators serving the port have decided to slap a winter season charge of $110-120 a TEU.
The levy, to be effective November 1, will apply to all shipments between Kolkata/Haldia and Singapore and Port Klang in Malaysia.
A TEU, or twenty-foot equivalent unit, is the standard size of a container and is a common measure of capacity in the container business.
There are a dozen feeder operators serving the trade route between Kolkata/Haldia and Singapore/Port Klang. These include Bengal Tiger Line, X-press Container Line, Samudera Shipping, Advanced Container Line, Far Shipping, Hartman, PACC Container Line, CMA CGM, Mediterranean Shipping Co, Hub Line and OEL. These lines are all members of Singapore-based Calcutta Feeder Operators (Calfo), it is learnt.
The feeder operators serving the trade route to Colombo, too, are likely to announce a similar rise soon, according to shipping industry sources. “But then, the Colombo trade, served by eight feeder vessels, is by and large one-way trade, mostly exports,” said a source.
Several factors, including poor volumes, are believed to have forced the feeder operators’ hands. In the past six months, half a dozen feeder vessels have been withdrawn from the Kolkata/Haldia-Singapore/Port Klang sector, and, more might follow, according to a report doing the rounds in shipping circles.
The weakening of the rupee has also dealt a severe blow to the export-import trade.
Right now, 18 vessels are serving the sector. santanu.sanyal@thehindu.co.in
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.