Search

A decrease in in the queuing time for port entry of container ships is realized with the use of an optimal step toll structure. A rational dispersion in the arrival times of container ships is also found with the use of this scheme.

Refunds due, alternative fees expected, questions remain. For more than 12 years, companies that have imported or exported goods from the U.S. have been charged a 'Harbor Maintenance Tax' (HMT) [...]

The 12-year-old tax is found unconstitutional, and the real winners are tax cheats. Elated exporters thought they'd stumbled onto buried treasure: The U.S. Supreme Court said earlier this year that [...]

Great Lakes bulk vessels don't trade in fresh fruits and vegetables from Thunder Bay, so carriers are asking why they have to pay the U.S. government a $490 agricultural inspection [...]

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- European Union officials last week described the U.S. as somewhat of a rogue when it came to trade barriers and violations of international trade rules. Not unlike [...]

The state is planning to increase charges obtained from using harbors. Fisherman and commercial boaters are against the imposition of port charges; however a 1994 state law allows state requires the collection of fees on harbor structures built on state property.

As administrators of the Marshall Islands registry, we at International Registries (IRI) are often asked what separates our registry from the rest. Quality is the operative word, but how does [...]

Companies seeking marine transportation now have choice of port selection on basis of services. Intermodal, minibridge, and microbridge modes have contributed significantly to availability of these services. Current maritime deregulation plans, especially user-fees, will intensify the competition among ports.

The US Customs Service is asking the Court of International Trade to require exporters to provide the documentation necessary for their claims on the refund of the harbor maintenance tax. Customs admitted that it does not have the manpower or the resources to document the taxes paid by each exporter to adequately determine their claims. The harbor maintenance tax was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, which forces Customs to return the collected tax. Legal representatives of the 5,700 exporters claiming refund are aghast over the inefficiency of Customs in providing the proof for the claims.

The Clinton Administration is preparing an alternative shipping tax proposal which would replace the harbor maintenance tax. The Supreme Court ruled that the harbor maintenance tax is unconstitutional, forcing the administration to recover its investments in port construction and harbor maintenance through another tax measure. The proposed tax measure is a departure from the value-based assessment basis of the harbor maintenance tax to a graduated tonnage tax which would be used to fund harbor construction and improvements. Shippers are wary about the tax since it is supposed to be double that charged by the harbor maintenance tax.

Sea-Land Service Inc, the largest shipping line in the US, and Crowley Maritime Corp are alleging that port policies in Brazil are discriminatory and create critical problems on one of the fastest-growing trade lanes in the world. The shipping companies added that Brazil's port practices are designed to boost its declining domestic merchant fleet. US-Brazil maritime relations are expected to be reviewed by the Federal Maritime Commission, along with other US agencies.

Maritime Administrator Albert Herberger has ordered the US Federal Maritime Commission to suspend its planned $100,000 retaliatory fine to be imposed on Japanese carriers entering a US port. The suspension is in recognition of the on-going negotiation between the US and Japan on Japanese port administration and port policies. The fines were supposed to be a retaliatory move on the part of the US in protest of Japan's restrictive terminal operations practices. The negotiation hopes to make Japan reform its port policies to enable carriers to operate their own terminals in Japanese ports.

Q: What is the Harbor Maintenance Tax (HMT)? A: Unless otherwise exempted, the HMT is a tax placed on all goods and passengers that use U.S. waterways. It was created [...]

Hong Kong's popularity as an industrial port is likely to diminish if its charges are not reduced when it is handed over to China. Preliminary talks between China and Taiwan have centered around creating a direct shipping route between Kaohsiung in Taiwan and Xiamen and Fuzhou in China. Hong Kong importance as a port will fade if its high costs are not reduced to reflect changing market conditions.

The only fee-based vessel traffic system in the country works with so much efficiency that vessel operators will be given a 10% credit on charges that have been paid in 1995 in the Los Angeles-Long Beach harbor. Shipping Lines have focused their interest on developments in the harbor after a Coast Guard plan to establish no-fee vessel traffic systems in the country has been scrapped from the 1997 FY budget of the Dept. of Transportation.

Bills that are pending in the New York legislature regarding port surcharges have raised concerns from the shipping industry. The measures, if passed, would levy a $20 surcharge on foreign and local ships that enter into or exit from the New York Harbor. Funds acquired from the undertaking would be used to buy safety equipment for members of the New York and New Jersey Sandy Hook Pilots Association and the purchase of Global Positioning System differential units.

The US Court of International Trade has rejected a class-action suit to recover money paid under the controversial Harbor Maintenance Fee. The harbor tax, which is assessed quarterly at 12.5 cents for every $100 worth of cargo, has long been the subject of complaints from shippers. The court's decision not to accept the class-action suit means that exporters will have to file their own individual suits to remain eligible for any refunds should the tax be declared illegal.

The International Freight Forwarders and Customs Brokers Assn. of New Orleans will file a formal complaint against the Latin American Shippers' Service Assn. for allegedly setting rates for Central American cargo that favor South Florida ports. The rates prevent New Orleans ports from securing high-volume cargo despite greater service efficiency. The New Orleans association seeks an investigation of the practice before the Federal Maritime Commission.

Steamship carriers have joined stevedores, led by James J. Flanagan Shipping Corp., to stop the board of Port of Lake Charles from increasing the terminal rates. The rate hike was proposed by the Lake Charles Stevedores Inc., who has had monopoly of terminal operations for several years. The stevedores and carriers claim that the price increases were meant to put them out of business by increasing the pallet and clerking fees charged to stevedores from $.75 a ton to $1.50 a ton. The rates are added to an existing $1 a ton rail switching fee and $.55 clerking fee, bringing the total amount of charges to $3.05 a ton.

US Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corp. Administrator Stan Parris has expressed his opposition against Canada's St. Lawrence Seaway Authority's proposal to increase net fees on ships sailing between the Atlantic Ocean and Great Lakes. The Canadian port authority is seeking higher tolls to recover its losses before it runs out of financial reserves. However, Parris maintained that the US side will not agree to any negotiations regarding higher tolls.

The meeting between EU chief trade negotiator Sir Leon Brittan and Russian deputy prime minister Alexander Shokhin focused on measures which will resolve the problems plaguing the signing of an agreement that will increase trading between the two groups. The EU dissapproves of Russia's discrimination on port charges, wherein vessels bearing flags of convenience are required to pay charges 20%-30% higher. Russia has accepted the EU's demand to give all vessels equal preferential treatment.

Robert Cunningham can laugh about it now -- or at least breathe a sigh of relief. But that wasn't the case when he first heard about harbor maintenance fees. On [...]

The Japan Foreign Shipowners Assn pressed for reforms that would help its members overcome problems related to inefficiency and operational difficulty, citing Japan's traditional, closely-knit system of links among business, government and supplier insiders. Association leaders believe they need foreign government support to enact change in the Japanese shipping industry and its labor unions. Complaints include limited terminal operating hours, lack of choice of stevedoring companies, required fees for unnecessary work and regulations that govern equipment purchases.

Increases in harbor tariffs are expected to gain approval from governor Linda Lingle. Tariff for shipping a 40-foot container to the Neighbor Islands from Honolulu, for instance, will be raised from $129 to $165 in 2010. These hikes will be used for funding a $618 million modernization project for ports.

Coalition Protests User Fees Shippers, ports and carriers unite to oppose further increase in fees charged cargo, ships. Joining forces in a united front, the nation's shippers, carriers and ports [...]

Big three contribute $9 billion to economy When it comes to recessions, communities dependent on international trade traditionally fare much better than those inland. That can be said, in part, [...]