Shipping lines including AP Moller- Maersk are charging South African exporters extra to handle containers as they start clearing a backlog from a two-week transport strike. Maersk is charging its customers an extra $75 per 20-foot container to partially offset losses incurred through the strike at state- owned ports and rail operator Transnet Ltd.
The congestion surcharge “is standard procedure,” said a Maersk spokesperson. “If you look at our contractual arrangements, there is provision for us to make those charges.”