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City seeks to cope with charges at ports
The HCMC government will write to the Ministry of Industry and Trade and other relevant agencies some time this week proposing an interdisciplinary inspection into the collection of terminal handling charges and "port congestion" surcharges.
Nguyen Thi Hong, vice chairwoman of the city, said at a meeting on Wednesday that exporters and importers were now subject to various charges collected by shipping companies, port authorities and freight agents.
"I urge the Ministry of Industry and Trade to combine with other agencies to work with port authorities to find a solution to this matter," she said.
Nguyen Thanh Bien, deputy minister of Industry and Trade, said that in May and June, cargo containers backlogged at the city's ports due mostly to the insufficient port infrastructure and the influx of imports, but the situation had been basically solved by June 15.
However, after that, many shipping companies raised terminal handling charges while ports started to impose new port congestion surcharges designed to prevent a repetition of backlogs, Bien said.
Shipping companies such as T.S Lines and Wan Hai Lines increased the terminal handling charge to some US$70 for a 20-foot container and some US$100 for a 40-foot container as they explained they would have to cover extra expenses during the cargo loading and unloading processes at ports, including the port congestion surcharges.
Ho Quang Trung, vice head of the Export and Import Division of the Ministry Industry and Trade, called for the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry to establish a Vietnam Association of Cargo Owners mandated to protect the rights of businesses.
On July 22 this year, the city government called a meeting with State agencies and port authorities to ask them not to collect the surcharges. But the appeal got no positive response.
Duong Hong Hanh, a representative of Viet Tien Garment Joint Stock Company, told the meeting on Wednesday that his company had been informed of the new higher terminal handling charge by a foreign-owned shipping company. This is because the port congestion surcharge imposed directly on shipping firms is still collected.
VNN
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