The shippers of Hong Kong are worried that the alliance between the terminalisti will determine a reduction of the competitiveness of the port



The announced agreement of operating alliance in recent days from the main terminalisti of the active port of Hong Kong in the segment of the container, that it has taken the name of Hong Kong Seaport Joint Operating Alliance - HKSPA(on 9 January 2019), it is an understanding that not like at all to the shippers of Hong Kong, second which the agreement will have an impact negative on the competition.

The authority antitrust of Hong Kong has announced the start of an investigation in order to estimate which it will be the impact on the competition of the new alliance between the terminalisti Hongkong International Terminals (HIT), Modern Terminals, COSCO-HIT and Asia Container Terminals (ACT), examination - it has specified the Competition Commission - that will be faced attributing the maximum priority to it.

From part its Hong Kong Shippers ' Council, evidencing that the four terminalisti that have constituted the alliance enliven beyond 95% of the containerized trade of the port of Hong Kong and that the details are devoid on the understanding, has : "with a market share of 95% - it has emphasized the president of the association of the shippers, Willy Lin - the field does not have practically some choice. The alliance could agree relative pacts not competition to the customers and the rates". Lin has granted that, as rimarcato from the partner of the alliance, the understanding between the terminalisti could determine an improvement of the efficiency and the productivity of the terminalistiche activities, but - it has specified - does not exist some mechanism in order to monitor, not to mention ordering, the competitive behaviors of the members of the alliance".

Lin has evidenced also as the alliance could determine an ulterior decrease of the competitiveness of the port of Hong Kong in confronts of the other Chinese ports: "some companies of navigation - it has explained - have lowered their Terminals Handling Charge (THC) relative to the import and exports through the ports of continental China and during the last few years has cancelled or wound down some of their soprannoli, while instead own to Hong Kong the costs are going up are in terms of burdens that of rates". "Still today - he has clarified the president of Hong Kong Shippers ' Council - the shippers of Hong Kong are paying the most elevated THC of the world. Moreover the shippers of Hong Kong do not see some justification in order to impose a Documentation Fee of beyond 600 dollars of Hong Kong and a Depot Fee of 135 dollars and many other ridicules burdens".

"He is indispensable - it has concluded Lin - to assure that the benefits deriving from the improvement of the productivity are transferred the shippers and that the costs of shipments through Hong Kong are diminished. The shipments - it has remembered - assume always their decisions on addressing of shipments based on the total costs of the transport".