New York cargo assessment reduced

The New York Shipping Association’s reduced assessment will apply to about 60 percent of import containers that move to within 260 miles of the port.     The New York Shipping Association said it is reducing the assessment on the majority of the containerized cargo moving through the Port of New York and New Jersey next month.
   John Nardi, president of the NYSA, said effective May 1 the charge on full containers of all sizes will be reduced to $89 from $94 per container that originate within or are destined for a location within 260 miles of the port. Containers moving to and from Bermuda are charged only $25.
   “The ability to reduce our assessment rate is a direct link to the continued growth in cargo volume over the past several years. Cargo containers with a destination within 260 miles of our port comprise approximately 60 percent of the total of all containers, making this a significant rate reduction for the international carriers that call here,” Nardi explained.
   Containers moving to and from the port by rail will continue be charged the much lower assessment of just $10.
   The assessment is used to fund benefit programs for the International Longshoremen’s Association.
  “The new rates continue the trend of reduced operational costs in the Port of New York and New Jersey and further demonstrates the ongoing commitment of NYSA members to contain the cost of doing business in our port,” Nardi said.