Inchon stevedoring companies against revised security charge plan

Inchon stevedoring companies including Korea Express Co., and Hanjin Corp., submitted a statement of eight companies' common views to the Inchon Regional Maritime Affairs and Fisheries on April 6, opposing of the changed quay security charge plan. Slated to be effective May 1, this revised port security charge will cost stevedoring companies 10% of total security charges while shippers pay the remaining 90% to the Inchon Port Management Corporation. Currently, shippers pay for all security charges.

Considering the total amount of security charges, 7.06 billion won this year, stevedoring companies will have to pay around 706 million won.

A spokesperson for a concerned stevedoring company said that as stevedoring companies are nothing but simple labor providers in the port, shippers should take care of security charges as they benefit most from the ports.

An official at the Inchon Regional Maritime Affairs and Fisheries said that as much as the stevedoring companies are responsible for managing cargoes, it is desirable for stevedoring companies to pay for 10% of security.