Focus is now
on service level agreement
for all ports
Alan Peat
THE MORATORIUM on the port congestion surcharge has been extended beyond its original March 15 deadline, according to Dave Rennie, executive chairman of the Container Liners Forum (Clof).
But, he told FTW, no actual new deadline dates have been fixed.
"The lines are taking
a wait-and-see attitude," Rennie said.
This was confirmed by Steve Pollington of the Europe SA Conference, the multi-line body which slapped the contentious surcharge on shippers in the first place.
"This is still under discussion," he said.
But, while it was indicated to FTW that there is a feeling in some quarters that the moratorium must be extended, "this is not a view held universally", Pollington added.
So, until there is a consensus, the official conference words have to be that the moratorium is still under review.
But things at the SA
end seem to be improving slightly, according to Rennie.
The congestion at Durban has eased somewhat, and discussions between the lines and Portnet seem to be following the right path, albeit at a slow pace, said Rennie.
"We are focusing more now on getting an ongoing service level agreement (SLA) for ALL the SA ports as soon as possible," he told FTW.
There are two main criteria for these SLA discussions, he added. That they must be "fair", and - if
productivity or berthing delays are evident - then the lines must have a "good chance of being able to claim compensation".
What this all boils down to, Rennie added, is a move away from the excessively detailed demands made on the lines in supplying information on vessel and cargo movements a week before the shipÕs ETA (estimated time of arrival).
"We have to make this more practically applicable," said Rennie. "To provide SA Port Operations (Sapo) with such extreme accuracy on exports, for example, is not just the
prerogative of the lines. Shippers, forwarders and land transporters all have to play their part as well."
But there are some signs of flexibility about this on PortnetÕs part, according to Rennie.
"If we can also get flexibility on other issues to be implemented in the SLAs," he said, "then progress will be made."
