Speedy action by Namport averts congestion surcharge

A pat on the back for the Namibian Port of Walvis Bay, which managed to avert being the subject of a congestion surcharge by improving its productivity at the insistence of an SA-based shipping line. “The positive thing,” said Markus Popken of Maritime Carrier Shipping (Macs), “is that when we complained the Port of Walvis Bay sent its CEO to Cape Town to talk to us, and to try to sort out the vessel delay hassle.” This followed some pretty serious problems recorded by Macs through the whole of last year. Said Popken: ”During the course of 2009 we experienced berthing delays of up to 12 vessel days per month.” These delays, he added, were because a major shipping line was using the port as a transhipment hub, and this was crowding everybody else out of the port. At the start of this year, the line decided that this situation was no longer sustainable – and threatened to impose a congestion surcharge of US$200 per TEU and €15 per freight ton on all import and export cargo to-and-from Walvis Bay from March 1. This resulted in almost immediate action by the port and its principal, the Namibian Ports Authority (Namport), and serious attempts to find a solution to avoid berthing delays. And the port succeeded. “We had various meetings with Namport and other service providers,” Popken told FTW, “and the port put a real effort into being more productive. “So much so that, although delays were still being experienced, it was possible to achieve a substantial improvement of our ships’ turnaround time in Walvis Bay.” Macs therefore decided to suspend the implementation of the congestion surcharge until October 1 this year – subject to a further review to be held in August. The line also expressed its gratitude for the port authority’s support on the delay issue. “And,” said Popken, “we hope that the review in August will prove that no congestion surcharge is required.”