Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) is charging its customers extra to deliver their cargo that was aboard the Maersk Honam when it was devastated by a fire three months ago. The Maersk Honam, which caught fire while heading to Suez from Singapore, has finally been able to berth after being at anchorage in Jebel Ali since 23rd April while hotspots on the vessel were being extinguished. Maersk Line’s 2M alliance partner MSC is asking customers with undamaged containers on board the vessel to pay an additional US$750 per TEU and $1,250 per FEU for trans-shipment and storage.

In consideration of the important geographical deviation provoked by the salvage operations and of the consecutive extra handling/storage costs that will accrue at port of refuge, MSC will unfortunately not be in position to carry your cargo to destination without collecting additional charges, the company informed customers in a circular.

This strikes me as rather unfair. Surely it is the shippers responsibility to deliver the cargo at the agreed rate at the time of loading. MSC can hardly blame their customers for the fire onboard the Maersk Nonam.

The customers are the ones that have been inconvenienced by this unfortunate incident. The contents of many containers will have been destroyed by the devastating fire causing enough problems for the bealeagured customers without having to pay extra to receive what cargo has been saved.

Come on MSC. Let us see some customer service or is this something that is disappearing from the modern world with only profit of interest to these large comapanies.