THE Chamber of Customs Brokers Inc (CCBI) is asking government to review the container imbalance surcharge (CIS) imposed by a few international carriers. It also wants public hearings conducted before any kind of surcharge is imposed.
The CIS amounts to $50 per 20-footer and $100 per 40-footer.
In a letter addressed to Philippine Shippers’ Bureau (PSB) executive director Atty. Pedro Vicente Mendoza, CCBI president Zenaida Dayanghirang said the chamber does not question shipping lines’ “right to earn profit or minimize losses”. It is, however, pushing for a process “where government and all stakeholders are given the opportunity to be heard.”
Dayanghirang added, “All operations of common carriers are imbued with public service and therefore due consultations are in order.”
More importantly, CCBI said shipping lines should justify the imposition of the CIS, including coming up with statistics on container imbalances.
The chamber complained clients of customs brokers are refusing to reimburse brokers on CIS advances.
CCBI is now seeking an audience with PSB and international carriers.
Meanwhile, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) led by Undersecretary Zenaida Maglaya together with officials of the PSB and the Maritime Industry Authority met last week to discuss an earlier complaint on arbitrary shipping charges, including the CIS, from the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Port Users Confederation and the Philippine International Seafreight Forwarders Association.
Sources said the DTI is supposedly looking at requiring shipping lines to conduct public consultations first before applying any fees.
The group is scheduled to meet again this week.
Aside from the CIS, the other surcharges questioned are the container seal fee, detention charges on cancelled booking, container cleaning and washing charges, import cleaning charge, charges on lost equipment interchange report, additional bill of lading copies charge, seawaybill fee, late payment fee, telex release fee, late shipping instruction fee, amendment fee and container insurance charge.
