FIATA, the international federation of expedition, urged shipping companies to review the current duty-free periods for cargo containerized in port terminals bringing them back to levels before the Covid-19 pandemic. Pointing out that the decision of reduce periods of free time was hired unilaterally by sea carriers, FIATA pointed out that in the In the meantime, market conditions have changed and motivations The introduction of this reduction is no longer valid.

The World Federation of Freight Forwarders recalled that the shipping companies are obliged to grant free of charge a reasonable period of time sufficient to load and send a container for export and, in the flows in import, for collection, unloading of containers and Return of empty containers. FIATA also recalled that In recent years these periods of free time have been reduced and At the same time, tariffs for demurrage and detention relating to the use of port areas and containers, with shipping carriers justifying periods of shorter free time highlighting that they would increase the fluidity of traffic and helped to alleviate the Congestion of the containerized supply chain by reducing bottle in ports.

In this regard, FIATA has removed a pebble from the shoe implicitly replying to the justifications given by the ocean carriers to significantly increase freight value seafarers, i.e. that one of the main causes was to be charged congestion of land-side containerized transport. Not Making explicit reference to these price increases, the Federation of Freight forwarders noted, in fact, that the reduction of the periods of Free time decided by shipping companies forced importers and exporters to make considerable efforts to comply with windows of increasingly tight duty-free periods, leading to congestion in the land supply chain and, especially, around the main ports and terminals. Nevertheless- denounced FIATA - "the chargers have been charged demurrage and detention costs even in cases where, despite the their best efforts, they had no control over the timing of delivery of containers due to congestion in ports."

FIATA noted that the situation is currently changed as a result of the decrease in traffic that has mitigated Dysfunctions in the supply chain, while we are moving towards a phase of oversupply of available containers compared to the question. According to the federation, in the current context, the periods of imposed free time still limit the possibility of properly comply with the provisions of the International Convention for Safe Container and Code of Practice for Packing of Cargo Transport Units (CTU Code). In addition, the federation of Freight forwarders invited shipping companies to evaluate the status of their container fleets in order to withdraw those reached the end of their economic life cycle and to insure that comply with container quality standards.