TSA peak season plans return

TSA peak season plans return    Liner carrier members of the Transpacific Stabilization Agreement said Wednesday they plan to assess peak season surcharges on the eastbound transpacific trade from Aug. 15 through Nov. 30.
   The surcharge was originally planned from mid-June, but was delayed due to poor demand on the trade. TSA said demand is picking up, based on improved forward bookings for its members.
   The guideline for the surcharge is $400 per standard 40-foot container or FEU, with charges adjusted for other equipment sizes using a TSA formula. For a 20-foot container the recommended surcharge is 80 percent of that recommended for a 40-foot container or $320.

Conrad

   'Carriers have recently experienced a steady increase in traffic that suggests steady, stronger demand in the three months to come,' TSA Executive Administrator Brian Conrad said. 'Based on more robust forward bookings and other favorable market signals, the consensus is now that the eastbound trade lane has begun the customary seasonal ramp-up to a pronounced peak.'
   Conrad added that carrier operating costs — like inland rail and trucking, empty repositioning, and documentation — are on the rise and tend to escalate during peak periods. Strengthening Asian currencies are also affecting costs relative to dollar-denominated freight rates, he said.
   TSA members are APL, China Shipping, CMA CGM, COSCO Container Lines, Evergreen Line, Hanjin Shipping, Hapag-Lloyd, Hyundai Merchant Marine, 'K' Line, Maersk Line, Mediterranean Shipping Co., NYK Line, OOCL, Yang Ming and Zim.