MSC levies Europe-to-Asia repositioning charge

MSC levies Europe-to-Asia repositioning charge    Swiss carrier MSC said last week it has begun charging a $100 per container equipment repositioning fee on shipments from Northwest Europe to Asia.
   The fee is over and above a recently instituted general rate increase by MSC of $100 per TEU and $200 per 40-foot box on the same lane.
   'We are facing a growing demand of 20-foot, 40-foot and 40-foot high-cube equipment for cargo destined to Far East destinations, and in view of a severe shortage of equipment persisting in the North West Continent, carriers are engaged in extraordinary empty repositioning to satisfy the market requests,' the carrier said. 'Naturally this is done at considerable expenses that need to be at least partially recovered.'
   The charge was collected from Monday on direct and non-direct ports of call, the carrier said.
   It involves shipments from the ports of Antwerp, Le Havre, Hamburg, Bremerhaven, Rotterdam, Felixstowe, Bilbao, Vigo, Gijon, Le Verdon, Montoir, Dunkirk, Brest, Rouen, Liverpool, Teesport, Bristol, Tilbury, Belfast, Cork and Grangemouth.