6.1.1.2 Liner freight班轮运费
A liner freight for a sailing route includes a basic freight and some surcharges.The basic freight covers transportation from the port of departure to the port of destination,inclusive of loading,unloading and stowage and trimming expenses.If your cargo does not fill up a fullcontainer,the liner normally starts with referencing a tariff before quoting you the basic freight rate.A tariff in the shipping industry is a pre-published schedule listing a set of criteria used for determining the appropriate charge unit for various categories of cargoes on a certain sailing route.Then the liner multiplies the basic rate for a type of cargo on that route by the quantity of the cargo in terms of the selected charge unit to arrive at the total basic freight.If your cargo does fill up a full container load,however,the liner applies a container rate,which will be discussed later in an independent section for containers.Let’s first take a look at the criteria used in the tariff.
For a certain sailing route,freight for different categories of cargo in the tariff may be calculated by weight,measurement,value of the cargo or a combination of these criteria.The following letters are used to indicate the criterion applicable for a certain category.
♦“W”（weight）按重量计价
For categories of cargo marked with “W”in the tariff,the freight shall be calculated by gross weight of the cargo.The charge unit is ton,but often called a weight ton,which could be a metric ton(tonne),a long ton or a short ton,depending on whether you are calculating weight under the Metric System,the British Imperial System or the American Customary System.
♦“M”（measurement）按体积/容积计价
For categories marked with “M”in the tariff,the freight shall be calculated by measurement of the cargo.The corresponding charge unit for these categories is often called a measurement ton,which is a cubic meter under the Metric System or 40 cubic feet under the British Imperial System and American Customary System.
♦“W/M”（weight/measurement）按重量与体积运费孰高计价
For categories marked with “W/M”in the tariff,the freight shall be calculated by a so-called revenue ton(freight ton)—either weight or measurement of the cargo,whichever produces greater freight revenue to the carrier.One revenue ton is 1 metric ton(tonne)(=1,000 kilogrammes)or 1 cubic meter.
♦“A.V.”从价计征
For categories marked with “A.V.”(Ad Valorem)in the tariff,the freight shall be calculated by a percentage of the FOB price of the cargo.It often applies to goods of high economical values.
♦“W/M or A.V.”按重量、体积或价值孰高计价
For categories marked with “W/M or A.V.”in the tariff,the freight shall be calculated by either revenue ton or value of the cargo,whichever produces the greater revenue to the carrier.
♦“W/M plus A.V.”按重量与体积运费孰高加从价运费
For categories marked with “W/M plus A.V.”in the tariff,the freight rate is expressed in terms of revenue ton of the cargo,plus a certain percentage of the value of the goods.
♦Per unit计件运费
For categories marked with “per unit”in the tariff,the freight shall be calculated by number of the cargo,such as “per head”for cattle.
♦Open rate议价运费
Open rate applies when the freight rate can be negotiated between the liner and the shipper.
Calculating liner freight can be challenging,as it may include a number of surcharges.Why are there so many surcharges?The answer,from a liner’s view,is because the basic freight rates,being relatively fixed,cannot respond in time to specific circumstances regarding the cargo,the shipping process,or fluctuations in the shipping market.Currency adjustment factor and bunker surcharge are two examples.The former compensates the liner for a corrosion of its profits caused by a depreciation of the currency the freight is quoted in and the latter for the same caused by a rising price of the fuel in the international market.The major surcharges are listed below.
♦Currency adjustment factor(CAF)
♦Bunker surcharge or bunker adjustment factor(BAF)
♦Extra charge for heavy lifts
♦Extra charge for over lengths
♦Direct additional
♦Port congestion surcharge
♦Transshipment surcharge
♦Optional fees
♦Terminal handling charges
♦Alternation of destination surcharges
♦Destination delivery charge