Taiwan International Ports Corp (TIPC) yesterday introduced a series of incentives to help cargo shippers solidify their operational bases in Taiwan.
Data from the state-run seaport company showed that total cargo volume handled in all international seaports across the nation was 14.91 million twenty-foot-equivalent units (TEUs) last year, edging up 0.3 percent from 2016.
Although various industry analyses have indicated that a gradual turnaround in the freight-shipping market is expected this year, the emergence of three new ocean carrier alliances — Ocean Alliance, The Alliance and 2M Alliance — began to affect the operation of the nation’s seaports in the second half of last year, TIPC president Kuo Tien-kuei (郭添貴) said.
Whether Kaohsiung Port or other ports in the nation could continue to grow this year in terms of cargo volume remains a challenge, especially as Chinese ports have initiated a price war to attract major ocean carriers, Kuo said.
Kuo said that the company’s incentive package would help attract or retain cargo shippers in Taiwan.
A carriers’ bonus for increases in the cargo they handle has been raised from NT$150 (US$5.13) per TEU last year to NT$300 per TEU this year, Kuo said.
Shipping companies that launch any new short or long-distance route would receive a bonus of NT$80,000 to NT$1.2 million per ship, Kuo said.
A bonus for shipping carriers that repair or maintain their ships or phase out older vessels would also be raised this year as well, he added.
n line with the government’s “Green Ports” policy and to accomplish its goal of using shipping to ease congestion on freeways, the TIPC has lifted the caps set for bonuses in both categories, Kuo said.
He added that the rules governing the provision of different types of bonuses were made public before the Lunar New Year holiday this year.
The application deadline for interested carriers is March 31.
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