Philippine customs brokers may have won some concessions from member lines of the Association of International Shipping Lines (AISL), including the period by which reckoning of demurrage starts.
In a letter addressed to Chamber of Customs Brokers, Inc (CCBI) director Samson Gabisan, AISL general manager Atty Maximino Cruz said member lines “favorably considered” demurrage to be based on the last container discharged from a vessel, and not while a vessel is still at anchorage.
The arrangement is a global practice in the shipping industry, and translates to less demurrage charges.
The issue of when the payment of demurrage will kick in was raised during one of the meetings of a committee formed jointly by AISL, CCBI and the Aduana Business Club, Inc. last August to tackle concerns between customs brokers and foreign shipping lines.
“We are happy with the decision,” Gabisan told PortCalls in a phone interview, calling it a positive step toward greater cooperation between brokers and shipping lines.
The liners were also “agreeable to the return/refund of container deposit within 15 days from submission of complete documentation,” said Cruz.
In the first meeting of the committee, customs brokers had asked carriers to limit the amount of container deposits and ensure their prompt return.
At that meeting, one broker complained that during the peak of the port congestion, one shipping line had deducted P11 million from his container deposit.
In the same letter, Cruz said the liners are open to extending detention free time but only “on a case-to-case basis.”
The brokers had earlier requested international shipping lines to extend the detention period for returning empty containers from 72 hours to at least 14 days considering the lack of space at container depots brought on by the port congestion.
Cruz previously explained to PortCalls that the competition law laid down by the European Union prohibits foreign shipping lines from deciding as a group on some matters such as charges.
He noted that some liners have already extended the detention free time following client requests. – Roumina Pablo
