Alan Peat ON NOVEMBER 15 the US/ Southern Africa Conference (USSAC) will impose a US$75 per TEU (twenty foot equivalent unit) port congestion surcharge on Durban cargo. The charge will apply to all import and export containers, and will be paid by the importer/exporter and ultimately the consumer. And it's not likely to disappear too soon. If the conference sticks to its trigger for termination Ð an average vessel delay below 16-hours, measured over a two-month period Ð the surcharge will remain in place. The same scenario faces the conferences on the other main trades to-and-from Europe and the Far East/South America. "I think it's only a matter of time before the others follow suit," said Nolene Lossau, executive director of the SA Shippers' Council.
