Maersk says that the plug shortage in Shanghai and Xingang has been worsening in recent weeks with similar reports also coming from ports in the surrounding area (Congestion surcharge (CFD) – Reefer Cargo into Shanghai and Xingang, China).
It is for this reason that Maersk will be expanding the scope of the congestion surcharge, adding also Ningbo port to the list of congested ports for reefer boxes. The tariff applicable will be the same, US$1,000 per container, and the effective date will be 28 February 2020 for non-FMC (Federal Maritime Commission) corridors and 22 March 2020 for FMC corridors.
The Danish shipping company recommends to customers, when possible, to ship cargo via other Chinese ports in order to avoid the congested facilities. This recommendation is in particular for transit time-sensitive, perishable, chilled commodities with a limited/short shelf life, e.g. fruit/vegetables and frozen meat.
For cargo already in transit, Maersk will offer a free change of destination for those customers who decide to divert the cargo to other Chinese destinations.
Maersk will, until further notice, accept reefer bookings into Ningbo strictly on the following conditions, which the customer is deemed to have accepted:
- The company does not guarantee the cargo routing nor take any responsibility for the delivery time. Cargo arriving in the ports of Ningbo is being diverted to alternative locations until the ports are able to receive reefers again.
Maersk emphaasises that this situation is outside of its control and is also affecting cargo already in transit to mentioned destination ports. - Maersk will apply effective 28 February 2020 a congestion surcharge of US$1,000 per container for all reefer cargo arriving into Ningbo to cover the additional cost of re-routing. Any regulated corridor will have effective date from 22 March 2020.
