The associations of the loaders criticize the decision of the companies to introduce soprannoli for the fuel to low sulfur tenor



Shippers and loaders criticize the decision of the main companies of navigation of the field of the containerized marine transport to introduce soprannoli in order to cover the increase of the costs of the fuel, surcharge that the main world-wide marine carriers are programming in order not to tackle - as many times happens - to the increase of the prices of the fuel, how much in order specifically to support the costs of the consistent fuel purchase to the new international norms on the limit of the sulfur tenor in the fuel to naval use that will take effect on January 1°, 2020(on 28 October 2016).

Today, in a note, the European Shippers' Council (ESC) has expressed dissaproval about these specific bunkers surcharge planned from the main companies beginning from the Danish Maersk Line, world leader of the field, than in recent days it has announced the application of an appropriate Bunker Adjustment Factor already beginning from on January 1°, 2019. Analogous communications are continuations by other primary containerized companies, between which the groups Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) and CMA CGM, with first that the introduction on January 1°, 2019 of new a Global Surcharge Fuel has announced and with according to which, specifying that the new norms will medium involve additional costs for container pairs to 160 dollars/teu, it has anticipated the decision relatively see again own business policy to fuels surcharge.

The association of the European loaders has specified that, through the national councils of the ESC, all are being monitored the initiatives put in existence from the companies relatively to the soprannoli for the bunker and their impact is being estimated on the operations plan.

If on one side the association has manifested dissaproval for these surcharges announced from the navigation companies, denouncing some also the transparency lack, from the other ESC has advanced the proposal of confronts between the parts speeding up the marine carriers to negotiate all the shipping charges with the loaders to the aim to reach a satisfactory agreement for both the parts.

Also the Global Shippers' Forum (GSF) has complained a deficiency of transparency in the soprannoli previewed ones for the fuel. In particular, the organization of the loaders has criticized the new rates introduced from Maersk Line, whose calculation is based on the average cost of the fuel and on a factor defined "commercial" from the Danish company(on 17 September 2018). To such purpose, GSF has found that, since the soprannolo it is applied for every container, the large number of value container, cargos of goods, that they are transported on the routes directed from east to the west will altogether pay a lot more of the necessary one to compensation of same the container that, once unloaded, will be transported empty east back. This - according to the Global Shippers' Forum - will determine the application of higher than average soprannoli on the more profitable marine routes. "For example - it has explained the association of the loaders - the route from the Far East to the Europe North has a commercial factor of 1,3, while that from the North Europe to the Far East of 0,7".

GSF has criticized also the decision of the Maersk "to very grant an entire fuel year surcharge which put up, 12 months before the norms take effect that they consider impose the introduction of surcharge. Moreover - it has emphasized the association - the new tariff structure would be applied to all the variations of price of the fuel, not only because of the fuel introduction to low sulfur tenor".

"It is from expecting - it has observed the general secretary of the Global Shippers' Forum, James Hookham - the demand to the customers to contribute to the new environmental costs, but this increase lacks transparency: they are not available data in order to allow with the customers to understand as it is calculated I debit it. Given the historical experiences on the soprannoli - it has evidenced Hookham - the loaders are naturally suspicious for that the navigation companies define "fair, transparent and clear". GSF - it has announced Hookham - will carefully analyze to this piece of engineering financial institution since we suspect that it has more to that to make with a generalized increase of the hires rather than with the conservation of the atmosphere".

Also GSF has complained the lack of the involvement of the loaders in the definition of the surcharge: "this that provokes the dissaproval of the loaders - has confirmed Hookham - it is the lack of negotiations on the tempistica and on the structure of the soprannoli it would have been better if Maersk had discussed its plans with the single customers in the course about the confidential reviews of contracts rather than to publish something that it would not outside turn out place in the section of the jigsaw puzzles of your daily paper".