ESC REQUESTS “RESTRAINT AND TRANSPARENCY” ON CARRIER WAR RISK CHARGES

ESC REQUESTS “RESTRAINT AND TRANSPARENCY” ON CARRIER WAR RISK CHARGES

ESC REQUESTS “RESTRAINT AND TRANSPARENCY” ON CARRIER WAR RISK CHARGES

   The European Shippers’ Council said on Monday that it has written to several liner conferences to seek reassurances from carriers that they will act cautiously before implementing any war risk surcharges.
   Various carriers have announced that they will re-impose war-risk surcharges in view of the increased international tensions surrounding possible war with Iraq.
   From October 2001 until the beginning of 2002, shippers were asked to pay war risk surcharges “which they believed not fully justified and well explained,” the Brussels-based shipper group said.
   “Shippers expect the shipping industry to deal with full transparency in order to maintain the understanding of their customers,” it added.
   The shipper group is concerned that any new surcharges that will be passed on to shippers may exceed the actual charges that shipping lines are incurring.
   Nicolette van der Jagt, secretary general of the ESC, said that her organization was disappointed by the lack of transparency offered by the shipping lines in the past two years.
   “If this situation re-occurs, shippers may well be forced to take appropriate action with their carriers,” the ESC warned.
   The shipper group is also opposed to common surcharges set by conferences, instead of individual    charges set by carriers to reflect their particular increased premiums.