After enterprises raised the shipping fees, reasoning the fuel price increases, the orders from enterprises have decreased sharply.
Shipping fees skyrocket
Right at the beginning of January 2012, shipping firms announced the new GRI (general rate increase) at 400 dollars per TEU (20 feet container) applied to the cargoes to the US.
In February and March 2012, shipping firms raised the THC (terminal handling case), and then the fuel surcharges by 8 percent on average, mostly applied to the cargoes to Asian destinations. In April 2012, enterprises were informed that the goods from Vietnam to Europe would also bear the same GRI fee at 400 dollars per TEU, the same with the fee applied before to the cargoes to the US.
According to the representative of HL Cargo, a forwarding company, enterprises have to pay 2000 dollars in total for different kinds of fees and charges for every 20 feet container to the Europe. The freight has been double that in 2011.
Though Vietnamese enterprises mostly export products under the mode of FOB (free on board), which means that importers bear freight, insurance premiums and some other kinds of fee, they still have to pay different kinds of fees and surcharges, called “local charge”, including THC, customs declaration fee…
TBKTSG