MSC lines up Asia/Med peak fee

MSC lines up Asia/Med peak fee    Liner carrier Mediterranean Shipping Co. said last week it will assess a peak season surcharge on shipments from Asia to Mediterranean and Black Sea ports in early September.
   The surcharge, $225 per TEU, is effective Sept. 5.
   MSC also said it will implement a $100-per-TEU congestion surcharge on cargo moving from Asia to the Port of Rades, near Tunisia's capital Tunis. The fee to the Tunisian port on shipments from all parts of Europe is 50 euros ($72) per TEU. The congestion fee is effective Aug. 25.
   The line said it has increased a congestion surcharge on shipments arriving into the Guinean port of Conakry. The fees increased to $280 from $140 per 20-foot container and to $560 from $280 per 40-foot container as of Aug. 18 bills of lading.
   Finally, MSC said it is monitoring water levels in the St. Lawrence River and could charge a low water fee if winter water levels necessitate it, 'although the present water level does not does not affect the loading capacity.'