ASIAN SHIPPERS’ COUNCILS COMBINE EFFORTS AGAINST CARTELS
The shippers’ councils of Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea
and the Federation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have met to discuss an
action plan to curb what they described as "the dominance of the shipping
cartel" in international shipping.
Following a joint meeting in Tokyo, the shippers’ organizations said
that "shippers in Asia fully support the need for the governments of the region to
regulate the collective agreements of the shipping cartels and super-agreements such as
the Transpacific Stabilization Agreement."
The call for government intervention follows the introduction of large
freight rate increases by ocean carriers on the strong outbound trades from Asia,
including in the Pacific eastbound trade.
A spokesman for the Asian shippers’ groups said that "huge
increases in freight rates" and new surcharges "would not have been possible in
a competitive market."
The shippers’ councils also criticized the imposition of carriers’
terminal handling charges as an abuse of market power. They agreed that they would refer
abuses to their relevant competition authorities, when appropriate.