Cargo boycott threat by Indian brokers over empty-box fee hikes

A new storm of stakeholder disputes, and potential operational disruption, is brewing across Indian ports over policy changes by container lines on empty-container handling and associated depot charges.

The loading and unloading of empty boxes at yards is the flashpoint for discontent and disagreement between supply chain intermediaries and carriers.

Maersk, for example, has substantially raised its lift-on/lift-off (lo-lo) charges for empties moving via Mundra, India’s busiest container port and the primary gateway for the hinterlands around Delhi.

The revision, implemented from 1 November, effectively more than doubled the rates shippers had been charged, from $23 to $51 per 20ft empty box, and from $31 to $67 per 40ft, plus local taxes.

This story was originally published by The Loadstar. Read the full story at The Loadstar →