THE four major container shipping alliances are being urged to provide new information on the measures each is taking to reduce congestion at US ports by the Federal maritime commissioner Michael Khouri, who says shippers have seen a deterioration in service and significant increases in costs.
Mr Khouri is also calling on the FMC to support his request, which is currently being discussed by FMC staff and commissioners.
"We have received private reports and seen numerous press accounts that the operations of the four alliances - G6, CKYHE, Ocean 3, and 2M - may be a contributing factor in the chronic congestion at the west coast ports, and perhaps at other port facilities," Mr Khouri said.
"In terms of overall costs and service levels in the liner supply chain as experienced by US exporters and importers, there has been a deterioration in service and significant increase in costs," he said, reported American Shipper.
Mr Khouri said there have been reports that because of the way containers are loaded on alliance vessels at Asian ports, there is now a need for additional handling in US west coast ports.
Other factors also playing significant roles in port congestion include issues surrounding the tentative longshore labour contract, chassis and drayage drivers.
The Global Shippers Forum (GSF) is also demanding performance data from shipping alliances, claiming lack of reliability and predictability of the joint operations of shipping alliances is adversely affecting shippers' maritime and logistics supply chains.
GSF secretary general Chris Welsh called on alliances to "take responsibility for monitoring, measuring and benchmarking their performance on key trade routes to demonstrate enhanced alliance performance."
Furthermore, Mr Welsh is demanding that the shipping alliances "make that information transparent to regulators and their customers as evidence of their commitment to showing the pro-competition benefits of improved alliance services."
The GSF called for "a manageable but rigorous set of monitoring KPIs [key performance indicators] that can provide the required level of confidence to customers that ocean shipping alliances can deliver tangible benefits in terms of reduced costs, competitive ocean rates and improved services for shippers".
WORLD SHIPPING
26 March 2015 - 22:20
FMC commissioner demands congestion information from carrier alliances
THE four major container shipping alliances are being urged to provide new information on the measures each is taking to reduce congestion at US ports by the Federal maritime commissioner Michael Khouri, who says shippers have seen a deterioration in service and significant increases in costs.
WORLD SHIPPING
26 March 2015 - 22:20
FMC commissioner demands congestion information from carrier alliances
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