Why do service charges at Cat Lai port increase?

Many modern equipment and machines are invested at Cat Lai port. Photo: T.H

According to Decision 631/QD-TCg issued by Saigon New Port Corporation, from April 1, this unit will apply new service charges to replace the tariff issued in accordance with Decision 2331 from January 1, 2018.

In the new service charge, there are many services and types of dry or reefer containers that increase charges from a few percent to tens of percent.

Specifically, container handling charges for ordinary containers from ships to yards and operating charges at berth of 20-feet, 40-feet, and 45-feet dry containers are the same, but the price of reefer goods has increased from VND 520,000/20-feet container to VND 675,000 and from VND 760,000/40-feet container and VND 990,000/45-feet container, respectively.

Similarly, the operating charge at the yard (lift the container to truck) also increased at many different rates, with the highest increase in the type of reefer container.

According to Ngo Minh Thuan, General Director of Saigon Newport Corporation, the issuance of service charges at Cat Lai New Port from 2017 until now was more than three years. To support import-export customers to stabilise production and business, Saigon New Port Corporation has not increased service charges at ports.

However, up to now, the consumption index and input costs such as raw materials, fuel, salary and social insurance have increased significantly. In addition, in recent years, Saigon Newport Corporation has invested in modern infrastructure, equipment and technology to maintain and improve service quality.

Therefore, to compensate for price slippage and part of the investment cost, Saigon New Port Corporation issued new service charges at Tan Cang-Cat Lai port from April 1, 2021.

In the new service charges, Saigon Newport Corporation is also exempt from collecting charges for some services. Specifically, the registration to transfer the entire container of export cargo from the same vessel to a new ship is exempt from registration fees to change the export ship. If the entire container has the same transshipment port, registration is changed to the same transshipment port but the export ship is not changed, the port, it is also exempt from collecting fees of changing the transshipment port. In case of registration to change the transshipment port and registration of transshipment, the port will only collect transshipment fee only, not fees for changing transshipment port.

The port will also be free of charge for shipping line that is the shipowner operating 5% of the actual quantity of containers exported on the "previous vessel" before the shipping line sent the request for transshipment (including holidays, holidays): If the time of finishing loading of the "previous ship" from 00:00 to before 7:00 am, the time to send the request to change container to "the next ship” must be before 11:00 on the same day.

If the time of finishing loading of the "previous ship" is from 7:00 a.m. to before 2:00 p.m, the time for sending the request for container transfer to the "next ship" must be before 5:00 p.m. on the same day. If the time of finishing handling for the "previous ship" is from 2:00 p.m to before 00:00, the time for sending a request to change container to the "next ship" must be before 11:00 am the next day.