Citing prevailing market conditions, the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) is raising additional transit surcharges for most vessel classes from July 15, reports the Splash847.com shipping news platform. This will increase costs for tankers, gas carriers, bulkers and containerships using the international waterway.
The steepest increases will affect crude oil carriers and petroleum product tankers. Laden vessels in both segments will face a 37% surcharge on normal canal dues, up from 25%, while ballast vessels will see the surcharge rise from 15% to 27%.
LPG carriers and chemical tankers will be subject to a 32% surcharge, compared with 20% previously, while LNG carriers will see their additional charge lifted from 7% to 19%.
Dry bulk shipping is also affected, with surcharges for bulk carriers more than doubling from 10% to 22%.
Containerships, one of the key vessel groups gradually returning to the Red Sea and Suez route, will face a 12% surcharge. The canal authority said the existing tier-based surcharge structure for container vessels will remain unchanged.
Elsewhere, general cargo, heavy-lift, ro-ro and other vessel categories will see surcharges increase to 26% from 14%, while vehicle carriers will face a 26% surcharge on northbound voyages and 12% on southbound transits.
Passenger ships are the only category unaffected by the latest revisions.
(Photo from SCA)