Small fry bear brunt of congestion surcharges NOLENE LOSSAU stated recently in the FTW that a $75 congestion surcharge was too high when vessel delays were compared with container capacity, and that $15 was near the mark. Yes and no. What must be realised is that big container shippers have contracts, and these contracts expressly preclude surcharges of this nature. It therefore follows that the shortfall created by the refusal of the large shippers to pay is being forced upon the small fry who have no option but to cough up. Thus Mrs LossauÕs calculation of $15 is correct but requires the maritime application of an old proverb: two can live as cheaply as one - if two are paying! Paul Clarke, shipping manager, Stemcor, Johannesburg
