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CPA eyes implementation of container surcharge
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Posted on Oct 22 2004
The Commonwealth Ports Authority is looking at charging shippers an additional terminal tariff to cover the costs of improving the container yard at the Saipan seaport.
CPA executive director Carlos Salas yesterday introduced to the ports authority’s board of directors a proposal to implement a container surcharge.
Salas said revenues from the charge would be used to pave and build a drainage system approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency at the container yard at the Port of Saipan in Puerto Rico.
The project is estimated to cost between $4 million to $5 million, he added. He said CPA could possibly take out a loan to cover the costs of the project, and revenues from the surcharge would be used to pay for it.
“We’re taking a look at this based on recommendations from shippers that such a surcharge is not only common, but is also acceptable to them,” Salas said. “Paving the container yard is, of course, in the [shippers] best interest.”
CPA has yet to make a final determination on the rate o f the surcharge it plans to impose.
“We are still evaluating an additional source of money that we could tap,” said Salas, who declined to name the additional funding source. “It’s still sketchy how we’re going to do that, but that’s the idea.
The CPA board deferred action yesterday on the adoption of the additional charge.
