[新聞]Asian shippers unite on THCs

Asian shippers unite on THCs By Greg Knowler Singapore After years of bitter and fruitless dispute with carriers over the unilateral imposition of charges, the world`s shippers are preparing to take a collective swing at the liner cartels. Holding the bat will be the Asian Shippers` Council (ASC), which was formed at the 27th AGM of the Federation of Asean Shippers` Councils (FASC) in Singapore last week. A total of 18 shippers` councils from the region, supported by the European Shippers` Council (ESC) and the US National Industrial Transportation League (NITL), met behind closed doors to thrash out an action plan for the coming year. Topping the agenda was the divisive terminal handling charges (THCs) that have soured relations between the lines and shippers for more than a decade. This and security were the two major issues facing shippers in Asia, said FASC chairman John Lu. "FASC believes that liner conferences should undergo substantial changes,`` Lu said. "The system, as currently constituted, is adverse to the needs of industry and trade.`` Lu, who is also chairman of the Singapore National Shippers` Council, said reform was urgently needed and he called on FASC members to continue lobbying their governments to remove the anti-trust immunity enjoyed by shipping line cartels, "a privilege enjoyed by no other industry``. "The liner conferences take advantage of this. The ASC will show shippers the way and they must influence policy makers in their governments.`` THCs are the charges the lines levy on shippers ostensibly to recover costs, but shippers have long accused carriers of using THCs as a revenue-generating mechanism. Philippine Shippers` Bureau chairman Pedro Mendoza said after all the disputes and bad feeling, the lines still refused to explain the actual components that made up the THCs. "We are subsidising the shipping business with the THCs,`` he said. "The lines don`t look at us as customers. They don`t value us. But without our products, do their ships have any value sitting there empty? No. Without us, they are just expensive pieces of metal.`` Dick van den Broek Humphreij, general managing director of ESC, said the adverse relationship between shippers and the lines was interfering with their ability to sit down and discuss operational problems, one of which was security. Although he added shippers were keenly aware of their responsibilities in securing their cargo. . "They know what they are shipping.`` (資料來源：Cargonews Asia 2004,9,20)

要花一點時間研究.可以簡單介紹一下嗎 謝謝

就當作是訓練英文嚕 THC為 terminal handle charge 櫃場作業費 起因：亞洲當地託運人長久以來對於航商向貨主在運費上附加櫃場作業費，覺得粉感冒就對了....

whyme910前輩: 請問有沒有網站是可以查出港口名稱和自動計算相距港的海浬數的網站.不用每次找半天!謝謝囉

有點想知道~~ 請問新聞來源??

多看國外的海事航運相關報導吧，一起與國際海運脈動同步