APM starts late charges in Kingston
APM Terminals in Kingston, Jamaica this week started a US$100 charge on shippers and intermediaries that do not meet scheduled pick-up times for short-term movements of inbound cargo, a report in the Jamaica Gleaner says.
The new rule comes with a loophole'customers can avoid the charge if they make a new appointment within 72 hours'effectively giving them a second chance to have containers ready to move.
The Maersk subsidiary started a program five months ago under which it will move containers from the port to a designated collection points. The idea was to streamline the movement of containers out of the terminal by using off-dock collection points.
APM officials initially predicted they would get about 250 requests a day. The proposal caught on with customers, who now request about 540 moves a day. In July, APM started using an appointment system to improve efficiency.
The problem is that on about 40 percent of requested movements, customers have not obtained the proper documentation in advance and the containers are not cleared to move.
That is significantly impeding the efficiency of the system, so APM gave notice on the charges last week and started imposing the penalties on November 13.
If customers miss the second appointment, the penalty will be assessed without a chance of a third appointment.