Heavyweight surcharge ‘unlikely’ for SA

It seems SA may escape the
heavyweight surcharges
that the international trade
press has reported are being
considered by shipping lines.
No details of how much
or even on which trades,
but only that it will apply to
20-foot (6 metre) containers
with cargo in excess of
18 000 kilograms.
But according to Glenn
Delve, the marketing director
of MSC in SA, it would
apply to export boxes from
Asia, where the packers are
masters at fully utilising
container space/permissible
payload.
In the case of Asian
exports to SA, it would
be the primary route to
surcharge, Delve added,
because of space constraints
on that trade.
“Obviously,” he said, “if
you can load, for example,
5 000 boxes at 18 000kgs
but only 4 000 at 25 000,
you need to impose a mass
surcharge to make up for
that space loss.”
But the good news for
importers is that when
Delve was asked the
question about whether it
was likely on this trade, he
said: “Currently it is not
being considered.”