Hyundai to assess inland haulage fee in Korea

   Hyundai Merchant Marine said Friday it will begin assessing a new Korea inland surcharge on North American export shipments from Nov. 15.
   The surcharge, $70 per container (for all sizes and types of equipment), will be applied on all exports from the United States and Canada to all inland points in Korea. Cargo destined for Busan and Gwangyang on a container yard/terminal basis are exempt from the fee.
   The filing of the surcharge was prompted by the negotiated settlement last summer between the Korean Cargo Transport Workers Union and the county’s transportation ministry, which effectively increased drayage costs across the board, the line said.
   Lamont Petersen, vice president of transpacific westbound trade for Hyundai, said a series of crippling strikes in South Korea earlier this year were centered on container haulage, with the union widely supported by non-unionized drivers as well, as labor fought for increases in fees, guaranteed rights and access to industrial accident insurance.
   “When the dust settled on the aftermath of the strikes, the carriers’ cost of providing door deliveries in Korea had increased by 10 percent,” she said. – Eric Johnson