The SA fruit industry has a major grumble about the port congestion surcharge that was imposed by the lines last year during the ports strike. One piece of the conduct of the shipping lines at that time so aggravated the fruit exporters that they have taken their combined complaint to the Competitions Commission (CC). “As an industry,” said Stuart Symington, CEO of the Fresh Produce Exporters’ Forum (FPEF), “we’ve complained that the US$150 port congestion surcharge imposed on 40-foot containers by nine shipping lines was put on simultaneously. “We feel that’s unfair.” And this complaint has been lodged with the CC.
