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EISA to sort out surcharge issue with Kolkata port

Our Bureau

KOLKATA, Jan. 4

THE Eastern India Shippers Association (EISA) will shortly take up with the concerned shipping lines and the Chairman of Calcutta Port Trust the issue of draft surcharge imposed by the feeder operators on Kolkata-Singapore and Kolkata-Colombo sectors at the rate of $50 per TEU from January 1.

The poor navigability of the Hooghly river near the Bedford channel, according to the concerned shipping lines, has forced the lines to slap the surcharge as their average parcel load has dropped.

``There has been a substantial drop in the loadability of vessels moving in and out of the CDS'', according to the shipping lines. The surcharge is applicable only to shipments to and from the Calcutta Dock System (CDS).

In a statement, Mr D.J. Bapooji, President of EISA, stated that the imposition of surcharge was without any basis as borne out by the draft and loadability figures released by the Kolkata port authorities.

Thus, between April and November 2000, the number of days when 6.6- 7.0 metre the river draft (inward) available to CDS was 83 as compared to 45 in the same period in 1999. Similarly, during the same period, 7.1-7.5 metre draft was available for 78 days (68 days).

Between April and November, 2000, the import loadability improved 5.5 per cent in terms tonnage and 12.38 per cent in terms of TEUs and export loadability improved by 13.31 per cent in terms of tonnage and 3.48 per cent in terms of TEUs.

In view of these, Mr Bapooji opined, the imposition of surcharge was unjustified. As it is, the competitiveness of the Calcutta Dock System had already been considerably eroded by high freight and port tariff structure.

The draft surcharge, which came into force from Janaury 1, would only worsen the situation. In the process, shippers were being penalised for developments over which they had no control.

The proposed meeting with the CPT Chairman and the representatives of the concerned feeder operators, it was felt, was important. The CPT Chairman would be in a position to explain the real position and thus clear the doubts in the minds of the feeder op erators about the limitations to draft and loadability.

The concerned shipping lines must be convinced that there was no justification for slapping the surcharge. It might be noted that a similar meeting between the Director of Marine Department of the CPT and the representatives of the concerned shipping lin es a few days ago yielded no results.

Mr Bapuji particularly deplored the tendency among the shipping lines to pass on the load caused by whatever reasons on to the shippers without caring to realise that such an exercise only rendered the exports from this region uncompetitive. He, therefor e, appealed to the lines to desist from such an exercise in the interest of the shippers of this region.