MANILA – Shipping lines may soon face fines for delays in the unloading of import containers, which spawn congestion at ports, the leader of a truckers’ group said Monday.
Truckers, after delivering shipments to warehouses, are supposed to return empty container vans to the shipping lines. Several firms, however, do not have enough container yards, said Mary Zapata, president of the Aduana Business Club Inc.
This forces truckers to wait for days before they can unload the empty containers, preventing them from returning to the port and picking up a fresh batch of shipments, she told radio dzMM.
Truckers, she added, solely shoulder penalties for delays in picking up shipments.
The group is waiting for a joint administrative order (JAO) from the trade, finance and transportation departments that will also penalize shipping lines, she said.
The JAO is also expected to task the customs bureau with regulating the operations of shipping firms, said Zapata.
Truckers are currently required to deliver empty containers to areas far from the Manila port, including Angat, Bulacan; Malvar, Bataan; Antipolo, Rizal; and Laguna and Batangas provinces, she said. (ABS-CBN News)
