MAERSK Line has imposed a rate increase on reefers from April 15, due to a lack of boxes in Middle East owing to the civil strife, as well as Russia's severe winter weather slowing turnarounds of refrigerated containers.

    Another rate increase of $200 per TEU will be imposed on cargo from the east coast of Australia to southeast Asia to Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines.

    New reefer charges will be applied on all FEUs moving from the United States to the Far East at an increase of US$150, which will also cover the following destinations: Brunei, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor Leste and Vietnam.

    It is to deploy an "emergency reefer equipment surcharge" of $500 per FEU from east coast of South American on to any destination to maintain a steady flow of containers.

    Further general rates of $150/TEU from Far East to West Africa will apply to destinations of Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde Island, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo and Western Sahara.

(Source:http://www.schednet.com)