News / Double-whammy for shippers: record rates and surcharge surges

Triple ULCS Call at APM terminals Pier 400 Los Angeles February 2015

With shippers facing skyrocketing container freight rates and premium fees across main and secondary trades, ocean carriers are now pummelling their customers with a mass of equipment imbalance and intermodal surcharges.

The strategy of carriers is to get as many boxes back to Asia in the shortest possible time to take advantage of exceptionally strong demand and record high rates, and to do so it is hitting shippers with extra costs.

The Loadstar reported last week that Asia-North Europe carriers were charging ...