印度托运人正考虑就泛太平洋稳定协议组织卡特尔式行为向印度竞争委员会投诉
印度托运人正考虑就泛太平洋稳定协议组织卡特尔式行为向印度竞争委员会投诉
《国际货运周刊》（International Freighting Weekly）2月24日报道，托运人称班轮船公司在印度像卡特尔一样行事，在泛太平洋稳定协议组织（TSA）征收“非法的”附加费之后托运人威胁要采取行动。
在印度的托运人正在考虑就泛太平洋稳定协议组织（TSA）所属集装箱班轮船公司的卡特尔式行为正式向该国国家竞争主管机关投诉。
印度西部托运人协会（Wisa）秘书纳拉辛汉（SRL Narasimhan）对《国际货运周刊》说，在上月班轮公司征收紧急收入附加费(ERC)之后应由印度竞争委员会（CCI）根据印度竞争法的规定对班轮船公司的卡特尔式行为进行调查。
由世界上最大的15家班轮船公司组成的泛太平洋稳定协议组织在去年12月集体通过一项指南，从2010年1月15日起在泛太平洋集装箱班轮服务航线征收每标准箱320美元和每40英尺集装箱4000美元的紧急收入附加费。
如果他们是根据美国和亚洲政府授权的航运法律收费准则，泛太平洋稳定协议组织成员可制定自愿的、不具约束力的运价和收费。
泛太平洋稳定协议组织覆盖的国家和地区范围包括美国、日本、韩国、台湾、香港、中国、新加坡、马来西亚、泰国、印尼、菲律宾、越南、柬埔寨、老挝、缅甸和俄罗斯远东地区，但不包括印度。
纳拉辛汉说，至少有三大班轮公司已在印度统一征收违反竞争法的泛太平洋稳定协议组织费率。
他于今天告诉《国际货运周刊》：“这是反竞争的。 如果这是一种指南，为什么有3家班轮公司向印度托运人征收完全一样的附加费？“印度西部托运人协会正就向印度竞争委员会投诉事宜联系其成员和其他托运人团体。但现在的问题是调查需要很长的时间，在此期间，经济将蒙受损失。出口仅在过去3个月里回升。我们的一些成员，其中许多是小公司，还担心如果他们投诉，他们可能受到班轮公司和无船承运人的为难。”
泛太平洋稳定协议组织的发言人说，其成员已不再就印度和美国间的航线服务交换市场信息或制定自愿性的费率或收费指南。他对《国际货运周刊》说：“在过去的一年里，泛太平洋稳定协议组织已暂停有关印度的协商和活动。该协议没有适用于印度市场的任何准则。但是，个别班轮公司可能会选择把在其他地方所采取的行动适用于印度的贸易，但这是他们自己的决定，我们对此没有提供任何信息，也没有讨论班轮船公司在印度做些什么。”
（王守仁译）
International Freighting Weekly
24 Feb 2010
Shipping lines acting like a cartel in India, claim
Shippers threaten action after TSA lines impose 'illegal' surcharge
Shippers in India are considering a formal complaint to national competition authorities about “cartelistic behaviour” by container lines in the Transpacific Stabilisation Agreement (TSA).
SRL Narasimhan, secretary of the Western India Shippers’ Association (Wisa), told IFW the carriers should be investigated by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) under the provisions of the Competition Act of India for “cartelistic behaviour” after emergency revenues charges (ERC) were introduced last month.
The 15 of the world’s largest shipping lines that make up the TSA adopted a guideline ERC of US$320 per teu and $400 per feu in December, which became effective on 15 January on transpacific services.
TSA members are allowed to develop voluntary, non-binding guidelines for rates and charges if they are authorised under the shipping laws of US and Asian governments.
Countries included in TSA’s scope are the US, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and the Russian Far East, but not India. Narasimhan said at least three leading carriers had already imposed the TSA rate uniformly in India in contravention of Indian competition laws.
“This is anti-competitive,” he told IFW today. “If this is a guideline, why have three lines imposed the exact same charge on Indian shippers?
“Wisa is speaking to its members and other shipper groups about pursuing this with the CCI. But the problem we have is an investigation will take a long time and, in the meantime, the economy will suffer. Exports have only picked up in the last three months.
“Some of our members, many of which are small, are also concerned they might be victimised by lines and NVOCCs if they complain.”
A TSA spokesman said members were no longer exchanging market information or setting voluntary guidelines on rates or charges on services between India and the US.
“For the past year, TSA has suspended discussions and activities relating to India,” he told IFW.
“The agreement does not have any guidelines that apply to the India market. Individual carriers may choose to adapt actions taken elsewhere to the India trade, but that’s their own decision, and we do not have any information on, nor do we discuss, what carriers do in India.”
