JOC.com has confirmed 13 carriers will assess port congestion fees on cargo shipped on or after Nov. 26. Those fees average $800 per 20-foot container, $1,000 per 40-foot container, $1,125 per 40-foot high cube container and $1,266 per 45-foot container.
Carriers first announced the surcharges on Nov. 14, but backtracked days later due to pressure from shippers and scrutiny from the Federal Maritime Commission. One by one, however, beginning with MSC, carriers announced they would again implement a congestion surcharge on cargo heading to the congested West Coast ports where carriers are incurring huge incremental costs. By Nov. 21, six carriers had announced they would again attempt to implement the surcharge.