THE Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) has approved increases in daily storage charges for foreign containerized cargoes effective Jan. 2.
The new storage charges apply after the first five days of free storage period.
The PPA did not state the reason for the increase, but port operators have said the low fees have sometimes been abused, with terminals being used as parking space for containers.
PPA Memorandum Circular 10-2013, citing board resolution No. 2326 and a memorandum from the Office of the President dated Nov. 26, 2013, doubles storage charges on foreign containers after the five-day free storage, and prescribes graduated increases every succeeding five days.
For a copy of MC 10-2013, go to http://www.scribd.com/doc/195235948/Philippine-Ports-Authority-Memo-Circular-010-2013
For imported boxes, a 20-footer will now be charged P481.30 for six to 10 days of storage, up from P240.65. For the 11th to 15th day, the fee increases to P529.43, then rises to P577.56 on the 16th to 20th day. For 31 days and beyond, imported boxes are charged P721.95.
For 35-footers, the fee starts at P842.20, up from the usual P421.10, and goes up to P1,263.20.
Forty-footers, charged P481.30 on the 6th to 10th day, will be charged P962.60 and up to P1,443.90 for 31 days and beyond, while charges for 45-footers will be from P1,082.90 to P1,624.35.
For exported boxes, PPA retained the old charges for the 5th to 6th day, but from the 7th, fees also doubled.
A 20-footer, for example, will be charged P120.30 on the seventh day, and P180.45 on the 32nd day and beyond.
For a 35-footer, the fee will be P210 to P315.90, and P240.60 to P360.90 for a 40-footer empty box.
Forty-five footers, on the other hand, will be charged P268.80 on the 7th to 11th day, and P403.20 on the 32nd day and beyond.
Charges for empty transshipped boxes also doubled.
A twenty-footer transshipped box will be charged US$5.47 to $10.94 on the 16th to 20th day, up to $16.41 from the 41st day and beyond.
Thirty-five footers will be charged $19.14 on the 16th to 20th day, going up to $28.71 for the 41st day and beyond; for 35-footers, the new fees will start at $10.94, increasing to $32.82.
Charges for 40-footers will be $21.88, up from $10.94, rising to $32.82 on the 41st day and beyond. For 45-footers, the fee starts at $24.44, rising to $36.66. –– Roumina M. Pablo
