Port of Long Beach raises tariff by 5 percent

Port of Long Beach raises tariff by 5 percent    The port of Long Beach will increase its tariff by 5 percent on Jan. 1, the first general rate hike since October 1999.
   The ports of Los Angeles and Oakland also are moving ahead with a 5 percent tariff increase, the port of Long Beach said.
   The Long Beach board of harbor commissioners approved a general tariff rate increase of 5 percent. The tariffs include shipping service fees such as wharfage, dockage, storage and demurrage. Excluded from the newly approved increase are pilotage (which was increased in August), passenger fees, and the vessel traffic service (which is administered by the Marine Exchange).
   The Long Beach board acted after the California Association of Port Authorities voted to authorize member ports to increase tariff charges by as much as 5 percent beginning Jan. 1. The California Association of Port Authorities is composed of the state’s 11 publicly owned commercial ports: Humboldt Bay, Hueneme, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Oakland, Redwood City, Richmond, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco and Stockton.
   The California Association of Port Authorities cited sharp increases in infrastructure and security costs to meet soaring trade volumes and new threats from terrorism.
   “In the last four years, the port of Long Beach has invested more than $700 million on infrastructure improvements and tens of millions of dollars more for tighter security,” the South Californian port said.