Northwest ports to implement security surcharge

Northwest ports to implement security surcharge    The Northwest Marine Terminals Association, which represents Seattle, Tacoma, Portland, Vancouver and 9 other ports in Oregon and Washington, announced it will begin charging vessels $250 to $600 per day, effective Jan. 1, to offset costs for implementing security measures.
   Some ports have received federal security grants, but the trade group said the grants have not been enough to cover additional hardware, personnel and maintenance costs associated with implementing security measures required by U.S. maritime laws.
   The move follows similar security fees imposed by the Gulf Seaports Marine Terminal Conference, as well as several southeastern and Florida ports during the past year.
   The Gulf Coast ports’ security fee is based on the amount of cargo, including 10 cents per ton for breakbulk cargo, 2 cents per ton for bulk cargo, $2 per loaded container plus an additional 5 percent increase in dockage fees. The South Carolina State Ports Authority is levying a surcharge of $1 per foot on vessels.
   Most of the Northwest ports will charge a $250 daily fee. Several of the ports separately began collecting fees in the past few months.