MEMBERS of the Association
of International Shipping Lines (AISL) will soon suspend
container deposit fees charged against local shippers,
consignees or importers. The elimination of the fee
will only cover shippers with no outstanding balance
or liabilities from shipping lines, said Maritime
Industry Authority (MARINA) administrator Oscar M.
Sevilla.
Sevilla said the decision
- reached following discussions among the Port Users
Confederation, MARINA and some AISL representatives
- is in reaction to shippers' constant complaints
of having to pay various charges, including the controversial
terminal handling charge, which they feel are unjustified.
One shipper said the charges contribute to high freight
rates, making Philippine exports uncompetitive.
For now, only AISL member
lines have confirmed suspension of the container deposit
charges. "We have no idea if non members would follow
suit," Sevilla said. Shipping lines charge importers
and consignees a container deposit fee to ensure the
proper use and handling of equipment. "The container
deposit was originally charged as a preventive measure
for delinquent importers and to encourage timely return
of empty containers of shipping lines," a source from
a major transpacific carrier explained. According
to him, the scheme was first implemented by member
lines of the Transpacific Westbound Rate Agreement.
A number of importers
have uncollected amounts due to the equipment detention
monitoring and collection service. The service monitors
shippers and consignees who have exceeded the allowable
free time container use. Upon return of empty containers,
the shippers receive a certain amount depending on
how long the equipment stayed in their possession
and what is left of their deposit fees.
The container deposit
is approximately P5,000 per container. "But shipping
lines give a 20% discount to big importers since the
total figure can balloon to a tremendous amount,"
he said.
THE Bureau of Customs
(BOC) recently reintroduced a new set of guidelines
covering examination of refrigerated containers to
prevent misdeclaration and other types of fraud while
within the Bureau's premises.
The BOC said all reefer
shipments, whether for consumption, warehousing or
domestic transshipment, must be subject to its inspection.
Exemptions may be permitted when import shipments
are destined for Philippine Economic Zone Authority
(PEZA)-registered ecozones and duly covered by an
import permit issued by PEZA; import shipments are
destined for semiconductor industries/members of the
Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines,
Inc. (SEIPI); and shipments contain temperature-sensitive
and non-agricultural products such as paints, organic
peroxides and other chemicals.
Under the new inspection
guidelines, refrigerated shipments involving fresh
and frozen meat/poultry, vegetables and other equivalent
products must undergo a one-time examination to prevent
delays. This, BOC noted, must be conducted jointly
with concerned agencies including the Bureau of Animal
Industry, National Meat Inspection Commission and
the Bureau of Plant Industry. To protect reefer shipments
from deterioration or contaminating other shipments
within the area, a 100% examination should be conducted
at a cold storage facility or at a location suitable
for the purpose.
The BOC said the examination
must be conducted during regular office hours. Otherwise,
the Bureau will charge importers overtime fees at
applicable rates under existing regulations. - Maritess
R. Mesias
INTERNATIONAL Container
Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) has announced a number
of changes in its senior management team.
Martin L. O'Neil has
been appointed Senior Financial Advisor to ICTSI and
Chief Financial Officer of ICTSI Ltd., assuming the
responsibilities formerly held by Noel M. Mirasol,
who is retiring. Mirasol will continue to have an
involvement with the company in a consultancy capacity.
O'Neil was formerly a Managing Director of JP Morgan
& Co., an international investment banking firm, where
he was active in a wide range of financing and advisory
activities in New York, Hong Kong and London. He was
also a Director of JP Morgan Capital Corp., the company's
private equity investment arm, and in this capacity,
was previously involved with ICTSI.
Jorge A. Cano, Senior
Vice President of ICTSI Ltd., who had overall responsibility
for ICTSI's activities in the Americas, in also to
retire. ICTSI added to its portfolio of international
terminal properties in 2003 with the acquisition of
the Baltic Container Terminal in Gdynia, Poland via
a government privatization program. It is now implementing
a multi-million dollar investment program at this
key gateway port facility.
In 2003, ICTSI was awarded
the Best Port Deal of the Year award by Transport
Finance Magazine, and was identified by Forbes Magazine
as one of the world's 200 "Best Under a Billion,"
emerging growth companies. "ICTSI wishes to express
its thanks to all the team members who have assisted
us to progress so far," said Enrique K. Razon Jr.,
ICTSI chairman. "For the future, we are confident
that we will continue to develop at home and overseas,
and that the injection of new expertise will play
a valuable part in consolidating and expanding our
activities in both spheres."
ICTSI is one of the pioneers
of container terminal management and operation on
an international basis. ICTSI is widely acknowledged
to be a leading developer in this sector, specializing
in container terminals in the 50,000 TEU to 1.5 million
TEU range, and maintaining an international management
team with unrivalled expertise in this arena.
Luzon
ports now equipped with shore reception facilities
ALL Luzon ports are
now equipped with shore reception facilities (SRF),
said an official from Golden Dragon International
Terminals, Inc. Golden Dragon manages and operates
the SRF through a 15-year contract with the Philippine
Ports Authority (PPA).
A requirement under
the International Maritime Organization's Maritime
Pollution (MARPOL) rules, the SRF collects waste deposits
of shipping lines upon their entry into ports. Golden
Dragon general manager Robert Odiamar said among the
ports with SRF are the North Harbor, the Manila International
Container Terminal, Batangas, Legaspi, Limay and Puerto
Princesa.
Last March 1, the contractor
unveiled an SRF in Davao. Today, it will unveil one
in Iloilo and by mid-April in General Santos City.
Before installing the facility, the company conducts
a series of seminars among port users, shipping lines
and liner agents in the area to inform them of the
advantages and other concerns about the SRF, Odiamar
said. The SRF will be established in 21 ports all
over the country, including Cagayan de Oro, Cotabato,
Dumaguete, Iligan, Nasipit, Ozamis, Pulupandan, San
Fernando, Surigao, Tacloban, Tagbilaran and Zamboanga.
Odiamar noted the company has already shelled out
"mammoth investments" on the project. "We are positive
we will be able to recoup these investments in the
next few years.
Also, it is important
that our waters are protected from pollution and we
are complying with the guidelines prescribed in the
MARPOL," he said.
ASIAN TERMINALS INC.
(ATI) recently signed an agreement with the Hongkong
Shanghai Banking Corporation Ltd. (HSBC) for the grant
of a five-year fixed and floating rate peso-denominated
loan amounting to P500 million.
ATI said the fresh capital
will be used to finance the South Harbor modernization
program, which covers the rehabilitation of piers,
expansion of container yard space and acquisition
of new equipment and technology. Among the four major
international ports where ATI operates, the South
Harbor at the Port of Manila continues to be the major
driver of the business.
In 2003, the port handled
over 650,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU), a
7% improvement from the previous year and above the
government's projection of a 6.5% growth. ATI said
the company continues to perceive strong growths in
its flagship terminal and also in the port of Batangas
mainly due to the increasing shift to containerized
trade and new accounts.
The port operator said
the South Harbor Domestic Terminal upon improvement
is yet to contribute more as a revenue source having
started full operation only in September last year.
