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LOS ANGELES / LONG BEACH - 01/01/04 - The two busiest container ports in the US have both raised their general tariff rates by 5%, effective January 1.

The general rate hike was approved by the Port of Long Beach's governing Harbor Commission last November and is the first for the port since October, 1999. It includes shipping service fees such as wharfage, dockage, storage and demurrage.

Excluded from the newly approved increase are pilotage (which was increased in August), passenger fees, and the vessel traffic service (which is administered by the regional Marine Exchange).

The tariff increase at the Port of Los Angeles will also affect service fees for all carriers  using the port's wharves, docks and warehouses.

According to a port press release, the Maritime Committee of the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners approved the increase "to help pay for about $700 million invested over the past four years on infrastructure improvements and costs for antiterrorism security."

The California Association of Port Authorities (CAPA) recently voted to authorize member ports to increase tariff charges by as much as 5%. 

CAPA is composed of California's 11 publicly-owned commercial ports - Humboldt Bay, Hueneme, Oakland, Redwood City, Richmond, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, and Stockton, as well as Los Angeles and Long Beach.

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