CBFCA (Customs Brokers and Forwarders Council of Australia) representatives met Thursday 3rd May with the ACCC Directors and Analysts tasked with gathering data and issues background to then develop the Annual Container Stevedore Monitoring Report.
The following issues were highlighted by the CBFCA as being significant issues for CBFCA members and Australia’s importers, exporters and independent domestic operators:
• The introduction of the Infrastructure Surcharges and their escalating fee structure, with these charges being essentially a relatively new form of domestic revenue for Patrick and DP World, that has been forced onto domestic operators
• QUBE’s introduction of ITF charges it’s facilities, chargeable down to house bill level
• The introduction of empty container dehire options to port stevedore terminals by shipping lines that involve standard export container booking type processes such as PRAs/slot bookings/commercial risks, thereby adding to domestic operator costs
• The “shrinking” of effective import container free time on wharf when stevedores apply the start of that free time to “time of container discharge”, as against the standard “time of container availability”
• Concerns on increased “business vertical integration” with land based multi national operators, where direct and indirect ownership links between a number of the larger operators has evolved and in effect created a situation where there are a smaller number of “ultimate owners”
On behalf of it’s members, the CBFCA will continue to highlight each of these issues, which in isolation and combined, provide a real threat to competition in the land/port precinct based component of Australia’s international trade.
With a number of these issues, the recognition and support of State Governments is also required and the CBFCA will continue to highlight these issues in appropriate forums, in communications/meetings with the ACCC, in addition to making representations to State Governments.
EES Shipping are proud active members of the CBFCA.
Source credit: Scott Carson – Commercial Manager CBFCA
