Maersk to hike U.S.-West Africa rates

   The liner carrier Maersk Line said last week it plans to hike rates from the United States to West Africa from Feb. 1.
   The increase is $150 per 20-foot container and $300 per 40-foot or 45-foot high-cube refrigerated container. The increase is applicable to destinations in Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde Island, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo and Western Sahara.
   Maersk also said it plans to raise rates from Canada to the Far East in upcoming weeks. It will seek increases of $300 per 40-foot reefer container from Jan. 15. And from Feb. 1, it will seek increases of $160 per 20-foot container, and $200 per 40-foot, 40-foot high-cube, or 45-foot high-cube dry container.