Maritime transport: port surcharges in Turkey and Algeria

Due to operational difficulties encountered in these ports, the French marine carrier CMA CGM has decided to apply new surcharges of port congestion (in English, Port Congestion Overload – PCS) to Mersin in Turkey and Bejaia in Algeria.

At the port of Mersin, Turkey

For all goods transiting from the port of Mersin to Turkey, to West Africa, the PCS has moved toUSD 150 per TEUsince yesterday, July 5, 2023, date of loading.

In this port, another overload is applicable since the 1standJuly and until 30 September 2023:USD 250 per dry containerfrom the Middle East, the Red Sea and the Indian subcontinent.

This congestion, which currently leads to aaverage delay of two weeks, also pushed the shipowner to suspend the Mersin port of call on its NC Levant Express marine freight service which connects the ports of Northern Europe with those of the Near East.

This congestion is mainly due to the earthquake that struck Turkey last February. Close to the city of Gaziantep, near the epicentre of the disaster, the port of Mersin suffered some damage. Subsequently, it had to absorb a large influx of humanitarian cargo and cargo from the neighbouring port of Iskenderun, which was too affected by the earthquake to be able to receive it.

At the port of Bejaia, Algeria

Since Monday 3 July, at the port of Bejaia in Algeria, a PCS surcharge has also been applied toUSD 150/GBP per TEUfor dry, dangerous and refrigerated intramed and northern Europe/Med cargoes to Bejaia from the Mediterranean (including Portugal), North Africa (including Morocco), the Black Sea and North Europe. As the activity is currently intense, saturation is felt at this port. Many ships seek to dock, with all types of cargo (containers, bulk cargo containing break bulk, food, wheat, wood...). To this is added ferries, many in this summer period. In addition, an agro-food giant in Africa has just resumed its exports of raw materials from the port of Bejaia, an important additional flow that requires heavy handling and thus increases waiting times.

Recall that the port of Bejaia is separated in two: a part is operated by a private company (BMT, Bejaia Mediterranean Terminal) and constitutes the only terminal of Algeria to have port port ports in order to exit the containers, the second is managed by a public agency (EPB, Harbour Enterprise of Béjaia) that generally accommodates ships of smaller size, ships break bulk as well as ferries car.

This congestion could continue until the end of the year.

To go further...

• Sales Administration (SDA) Subcontracting Export
• Import/export flow management (air & maritime)
• Diagnosis of international logistics flows

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Source(s): CMA CGM | CMA CGM | ACTE International Network

Editor(s): | C.BEDOUIN