HIGHER infrastructure charges imposed on trucks and rail operators at Australian ports helped the container stevedoring industry increase average revenue per container lift for the first time in seven years, reports New York's Maritime Executive.
Revenue from infrastructure charges increased 63 per cent year on year. This helped to offset an 8.1 per cent decline in average quayside revenue because of competition between stevedores and increasing bargaining power of the shipping lines, according to the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC).
Average revenue per lift across both the quayside and landside increased by 1.8 per cent to A$268 (US$185) per lift.
'It is understandable that stevedores seek to recover some costs of upgrading port facilities from transport operators because they, like the shipping lines, benefit from the investment,' said ACCC chairman Rod Sims.
But because port users have limited ability to move their business in response to a stevedore raising its infrastructure charge, the stevedores face less competitive pressure to keep the charges down. While the infrastructure charges only represent 12 per cent of the stevedores?revenues today, the outcome of this may be that importers and exporters end up paying more to ship goods.
WORLD SHIPPING
Revenue from infrastructure charges increased 63 per cent year on year. This helped to offset an 8.1 per cent decline in average quayside revenue because of competition between stevedores and increasing bargaining power of the shipping lines, according to the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC).
Average revenue per lift across both the quayside and landside increased by 1.8 per cent to A$268 (US$185) per lift.
'It is understandable that stevedores seek to recover some costs of upgrading port facilities from transport operators because they, like the shipping lines, benefit from the investment,' said ACCC chairman Rod Sims.
But because port users have limited ability to move their business in response to a stevedore raising its infrastructure charge, the stevedores face less competitive pressure to keep the charges down. While the infrastructure charges only represent 12 per cent of the stevedores?revenues today, the outcome of this may be that importers and exporters end up paying more to ship goods.
WORLD SHIPPING