World Trade - April 2009 - (Page 36) OCEAN PORTS The view from the bridge of the MSC Marina Fedelini estimated those fees cover an average 435 container moves per port call. The next biggest piece of the pie—a total $63,000—consists of the commissions paid to agents and freight forwarders. Other per vessel port related charges include $12,000 for pilotage into Charleston harbor, $8,000 for the tugs that guide the ships to dock, $1,300 to pay for the mooring and unmooring of the ship, and $1,000 to cover the cost of customs clearance, quarantine/sanitary issues and dues. Finally, nearly all of MSC’s ships arrive at port with a percentage of cargo in refrigerated containers. The costs associated with these typically run about $3,000, Fedelini said. “And of course, that’s without taking into consideration other potential costs, which vary depending upon whether its being chartered from another party or is wholly owned by the line, meaning they’re likely paying hefty finance charges on it.” Fedelini said. “And then there’s the matter of insurance. While a shipping line’s liability on cargo is limited, you nonetheless have to insure the ship.” Asked for estimates of those numbers, Fedelini apologized, explaining that those more global costs are the purview of the line’s headquarters in Switzerland, and that he knew little of the specific details. APRIL 2009 Ship calls Antwerp home Founded in 1970, the Mediterranean Shipping Co. S.A. is currently the second-largest container shipping line in the world, operating 318 vessels with a combined capacity of 1,022,044 TEUs. It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, with its main European hub being Antwerp, Belgium. Although it charters some of its vessels to other companies in order to keep its fleet flexible, ships bearing the large white MSC on their hulls call on more than 215 ports on six continents. In addition to Charleston, the MSC Marina’s itinerary on this journey included 12 other ports of call. Four of those are in the United States (Savannah, GA; Port Everglades, FL; Houston, and New Orleans), while five are in Europe: Antwerp, Belgium; Felixstowe, England; Hamburg and Bremerhaven, Germany; and Le Havre, France. It takes about a week to make the Atlantic crossing in good weather. The captain said he and the crew typically make several runs back and forth before taking a day off. In all, Esposito spends about six months at sea before taking a few weeks off. When Esposito started sailing, containerization of cargo was still in its infancy and ships routinely stayed in port for up to a week as they were loaded and unloaded. “These days a normal call is 12 hours, but there are times, like today, when it is much shorter than that. 36 WORLD TRADE
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