EMEA News
Unifeeder Announces 2015 ECA Fuel Surcharge, Says Cost Increase "is Outside Our Control"
Denmark-based feeder vessel operator Unifeeder AS (Unifeeder) says it will add a surcharge of €65 ($83.80) per loaded twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) for shortsea clients to address the extra costs of operating in Emissions Control Areas (ECAs) when new rules take effect next year.
"This cost increase is outside our control," the company said.
The requirement that vessels reduce the sulfur content of their fuel from 1.0 percent to 0.10 percent by weight, effective January 1, 2015, will require the company to switch from Intermediate Fuel Oil (IFO) bunkers to more expensive Marine Gas Oil (MGO).
Unifeeder's vessels in Northern Europe operate exclusively within ECA territory, and the company says it will have to pay about 50 percent more for fuel there.
The the new surcharge is to be introduced at the start of the new year and will be in addition to its existing bunker adjustment factor (BAF) surcharge.
If the price of MGO changes significantly from current predictions, Unifeeder says it will readjust the surcharge.
Unifeeder is part of the Trident Alliance, a shipping industry group that is pushing for consistent enforcement of ECA rules to provide a level playing field for carriers.
