Asia/Canada carriers revise rate increases

Asia/Canada carriers revise rate increases    Shipping lines of the Canada Transpacific Stabilization Agreement said Tuesday they have revised the rate increases they plan to implement May 1 in the Asia-to-Canada container trade.
   Different increases will be applied depending on the cargo destination and inland mode. In particular, instead of introducing a surcharge for intermodal shipments, the carrier group will increase base freight rates by a higher amount.
   For container shipments destined to Vancouver, B.C., the revised, planned rate increases are $480 per 20-foot container, $600 per 40-foot container, $675 per 40-foot high-cube container and $760 per 45-foot container.
   For cargoes destined to Montreal or Toronto and for all-water and inland point intermodal cargoes, the planned price increases are $680 per 20-foot container, $850 per 40-foot container, $955 per 40-foot high-cube container and $1,075 per 45-foot container.
   These requested rate increases will be seen as some of the highest in recent years.
   The Canada Transpacific Stabilization Agreement said the higher increases for East Coast and intermodal shipments are due to increased costs associated with providing mini-landbridge, all-water and inland point intermodal services.
   “The optimism expressed earlier in the year continues with market forecasts on target for the 2004-2005 season,” the carrier group added, commenting on the strength of the market.
   The Canada Transpacific Stabilization Agreement includes among its 13 members most of the large transpacific container carriers.