Carriers likely to follow MSC and hike ancillary charges on Indian exports

Facing profitability setbacks after the recent steep freight rate downturns, container lines appear to be exploring other avenues to shore-up balance sheets.

In a sign of a new commercial strategy, MSC has substantially raised documentation charges for export shipments out of India.

From the end of this month, the carrier’s charges towards bill of lading (B/L) release are set to rise by some 60% above its current tariff levels and the scale of rates collected by other carriers.

According to a MSC (India) advisory, from 22 December its seaway B/L fee would increase to 6,500 rupees (about $80) per document, plus local taxes, reportedly from a current base level of 4,250 rupees.

The updated scale would be applied to “all export local and ICD (inland container depot) containers ex-India for all trades,” the Geneva-headquartered carrier said.

Other related charges, like container seal fees, would also rise, to $8 per box, which freight forwarder sources said now generally stand at $6 to $7.