MED/U.S. CARRIERS INTRODUCE WESTBOUND EQUIPMENT CHARGE

   The small Mediterranean/U.S. conference consisting of Maersk Line, Sea-Land Service and P&O Nedlloyd is introducing a westbound-only equipment repositioning surcharge of $250 per container on Sept. 1.
    A Maersk executive said that the flat charge, which applies to containers irrespective of their size, is necessary because of "the heavy imbalance" between the strong westbound trade and the weak eastbound trade.
    Maersk ships are fully booked westbound from the Mediterranean to the U.S., the executive said.
    Cho Yang, a non-conference line, said that it will follow the conference by introducing the $250-per-box equipment charge on Sept. 1.
    The charge results from the "container imbalance situation with very strong equipment demand in the Mediterranean range," Cho Yang said.
    The Trans-Atlantic Conference Agreement, which covers the northern Europe/U.S. trade, has also announced a $250 westbound equipment charge.
    In a related development, Maersk, Sea-Land and P&O Nedlloyd have announced a general rate increase of $200 per 20-foot container and $250 per 40-footer on westbound tariff rates. effective Sept. 15.
    The increase doesn’t apply to current service contracts.