Panama Canal Postpones Proposed Toll Increase to October
The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) Board postponed the proposed effective date of its toll increase to October of 2012 and 2013, it said in a press release. The new tolls, proposed in April, were originally slated to take effect in July with a second step of increases in 2013, the board said, but the proposed implementation date was postponed in response to industry requests.
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According to the Panama Canal, significant elements of the proposal include the following:
New segments. The revised proposal increases the number of segments from eight to ten by Panama Canal vessel type. It also breaks down the tanker segment into three distinct segments and incorporates the roll-on/roll-off vessels into the vehicle carrier segment. Once approved, the Panama Canal market segmentation scheme will include the following segments: full container, reefer, dry bulk, passenger, vehicle carrier and ro-ro, tanker, chemical tanker, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), general cargo and others.
Price Proposal. Effective Oct. 1, 2012 and Oct. 1, 2013, respectively, the ACP proposes to increase the tolls for general cargo, dry bulk, tanker, chemical tanker, LPG, vehicle carrier and ro-ro, and the segment known as others. The remaining segments -- container, reefer and passenger -- will not be adjusted at this time, nor will the price per twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) for containers carried onboard a vessel. Additionally, there will be changes to tolls applicable to small vessels based on vessel length, to incorporate adjustments not previously considered.