TACA PLANS WESTBOUND TARIFF RATE INCREASES

TACA PLANS WESTBOUND TARIFF RATE INCREASES    The Trans-Atlantic Conference Agreement said Tuesday that member carriers would implement a two-stage increase in general tariff rates, effective April 1 and Oct. 1.
   TACA will increase rates $400 per 20-foot container, $500 per 40-foot container, and $25 weight measure, effective April 1. The amount of increases on Oct. 1 will be announced later, the conference said.
   Member lines saw cargo in the westbound trade between North European ports and Scandinavian-Baltic ports improve 7 percent in 2002, TACA said.
   “After the Christmas-New Year holiday period, traffic volumes are returning quicker than usual to normal levels,' the conference said. However, while cargo flows and capacity utilization will continue to run at high levels in 2003, 'the general level of rates remains unsustainable, and tariff rate increases are necessary to support the service levels demanded by the trade,” TACA said.
   TACA’s member lines are Atlantic Container Line, Hapag Lloyd Container Linie, Mediterranean Shipping Co., A.P. Moller-Maersk Sealand, Nippon Yusen Kaisha, Orient Overseas Container Line Ltd., and P&O Nedlloyd.