The 6th annual meeting of the Asian Shippers' Council & Global Shippers' Forum meeting 2010 will be held in Macau from 5th -7th September 2010.

The event is hosted by the Mcau Shippers' Association on behalf of Asian Shippers' Council, and it will be held at the Star World Hotel, Macau

‘Our protectors are turning a blind eye’

Mike King | Fri, 9 Jul 2010

John Lu, Chairman of the Asian Shippers’ Council, tells IFW why he believes “cartel” behaviour by shipping lines threatens the future of exporters in Asia and the recovery of global trade.  

IFW: Do Asian shippers believe the corner has been turned, in terms of international demand?

Lu: The recovery has been much faster than expected. Business has recovered, but the economy overall is still uncertain. Orders are smaller and more short-term than pre-crisis.

IFW: Has the global financial crisis left any long-term scars on Asian manufacturers?

Lu: When the crisis struck, orders just stopped. Global trade shrank about 20%, but exports in Asian countries were down by as much as 50%. A lot of factories were forced to close and the survival of the industry was in question at one point. 

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Asian shippers' continue to protest against the emergency bunker surcharge (EBS) on the China-Intra-Asia trade that was implementeed earlier this year.

All major shipping lines involved in this trade implemented charges of RMB300 (USD48) per TEU and RMB600 (USD87) per FEU from February 1 for exports from South China (including Fujian) to the rest of Asia.
Mr. Willy Lin, Hong Kong Shippers' Council chairman and convenor Asian Shippers' Council for the China region, has categorised this as a totally unfair charge from the shippers which is 16% hike on the present freight rates even as the oil prices have dropped from USD 150 to a barrel in 2008  to USD 80 today.

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