French port freezes harbour dues for third year running

January 8, 2012, 7:11 pm 

The French port of Le Havre has announced it will match its north Europe rival, Rotterdam, in freezing harbour dues for containerships for the third consecutive year.

In a statement, the port authority said the decision was aimed at "facilitating the return of confidence by container shipping lines and helping recapture containerised trades".

The news came after another rival port, Antwerp, announced that it would, for the first time in three years, increase charges by 2% for 2012.

The Antwerp port authority said the increased dues would be used to fund infrastructure developments, including improvements to terminal facilities.

Both Le Havre and Antwerp will offer a 10% discount on dues to shipping lines that operate the most environmentally friendly ships that call at the ports. Vessels will be rated in accordance with their entry in the Environmental Ship Index.

Meanwhile, the German port of Hamburg will increase its harbour dues by 3.5% this year, although ships with capacity of 11,000teu and above will be exempt from the price hike. - IFW