09OCT2019- NEWS - Shippers will only pay for IMO 2020 ‘cost recovery’

Maersk Line will only charge for the “extra cost of compliance” as the carrier introduces new IMO 2020 low-sulfur fuels in the coming months.

As reported by FreightWaves, shippers and forwarders have expressed dismay about the complexity of the charges being levied by some container lines as they phase in new low-sulfur bunker fuels ahead of the Jan. 1 International Maritime Organization deadline.

Shippers have also complained about a lack of transparency, suspecting that some container lines will use the introduction of the new fuels to bolster profits.

However, Silvia Ding, global head of ocean products for A.P. Møller – Maersk, told FreightWaves that while customers should expect to pay more due to the higher pricing of IMO 2020-compliant low-sulfur fuels, Maersk was only focused on recovering costs.

“Low-sulfur fuels are significantly more expensive,” she said. “As multiple industry reports have stated, being in a low-margin industry carriers cannot shoulder the cost alone; it must be passed on through the supply chain.”