Reminder - Implementation of Port Licence Fee in Melbourne

We  advise all of our customers that effective 1st July 2012 a new tax is being imposed on the transportation community by the Victorian Government, called a Port Licence Fee (PLF). This follows the passing of the Port Management Amendment (Port of Melbourne Corporation Licence Fee) Bill 2011 by the Legislative Assembly of the Victorian Parliament on 9th February 2012 and by the Legislative Council on 28th February 2012.

12th Annual Trans-Pacific Maritime Conference

Information from this conference states that the introduction of the bigger mega-ships (up to 18,000 TEU’s) will cause a reduction of the number of ocean carriers by the mid-2020’s to between 8 to 10 companies (currently approx 50 carriers control 97% of the world wide container business) . This will mean fewer choices for the shippers because the carriers will offer fewer sailing and departure times. It would appear that the size of the mega-ships is already approaching its upper limit, apparently ships larger then 18,000TEU’s cannot be loaded and unloaded quick enough to offer the frequency of sailings the market would like to see.

EU fines forwarders for cartel activities

The EU has handed out harsh fines to 14 international freight forwarding companies for engaging in anti-competitive behaviour between 2002 and 2008.

Stating that they colluded in four distinct cartels to fix prices and trading conditions for international air freight forwarding services on important trade lanes – in particular Europe to the US and China/Hong Kong to Europe – the Commission named those forwarders penalised as Agility Logistics Beijing, Ceva and EGL, DSV Air & Sea, Expeditors Hong Kong, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics, Kintetsu World Express, Kuehne + Nagel, Nippon Express, Panalpina, Schenker,  Toll Global Forwarding, UPS Supply Chain Solutions (as a successor of Menlo Worldwide), UTi Worldwide, and Yusen Shenda Air & Sea Service (Shanghai).
Imposing a total of 169 million euros (US$225.1 million) in penalties on the forwarders named, the Commission identified the cartels as being active in areas such as fixing surcharges for advanced manifest system clearance, manipulating currency adjustment factors and setting peak season surcharges.

 

Melbourne Office Print
Postal
PO Box 1453 Tullamarine, Victoria 3043 Australia
Office
106-110 Lambeck drive,Tullamarine, Victoria 3043 Australia

Sales:[email protected]

Air Import Documentation:[email protected]

Sea Import Documentation:[email protected]

CLOSE
close