Pusan trying to exempt wharfage in transit cargoes

The Port of Pusan will give transit cargoes the benefit of wharfage fee exemptions from next year if possible.

The Port of Pusan logistic renovation task force team held a meeting. The Pusan team is composed of Pusan Regional Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, South Kyoungsang Province Customs, the Korea Container Terminal Authority, shipping and stevedoring companies where they decided to move forward with four clauses including wharfage exemption.

The port will submit a recommendation to the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (MOMAF) to exempt transit cargoes via the Port of Pusan from wharfage fees in a bid to stimulate business at the port. Wharfage has been charged at rates up to 128 won per ton.

Transit cargoes produced around 2.5 billion won in terms of wharfage fees by handling 19.51 million tons of cargoes up to this September. If the wharfage fees are abolished, the port may well attract more cargoes.

Another proposed clause revised port usage fee schedules. In the past, port usage fee was charged based on a flat fee for 12 hours of docking time with additional fees levied for each additional 6-hour-block. The proposed clause reduces extra docking-time blocks to 1-hour.

In the mean time, the task force team in the Port of Pusan will set up its work plan for 2002 to make the Port of Pusan the premiere competitive port in the country.