Delays in shipping harming businesses
By Rosli Abidin Yahya 

Shipping lines need to be prompt and on schedule in delivering cargo if they want to 'win' the trust and confidence of local traders and forwarders. Company managers and forwarders said delay in the delivery of their cargoes have caused them losses.

At times they needed to pay penalties as a result of late deliveries or delay in projects completion due to inconsistency in the transportation arrivals of their cargo.

Reliable sea linkages had been considered vital by them in their effort to revive trade and bring the economy out of the recession faced since late 1997.

The cargo forwarders and company managers were talking to the Borneo Bulletin yesterday when a foreign ship arrived at Muara Port nearly a month late several days ago.

A company manager said: "As a result of the delay in the arrival of our shipment we could not meet the target date of completion of projects.

As such we needed to pay penalty for the one-month delay due to the late arrival of the ship," he added.

He said he had been in touch with his cargo which was transported from Germany.

He added that the ship from Germany arrived on time to Port Klang and loaded his cargo to another ship there.

However, he alleged that the local agent tried to maximise profits by selecting a ship which would only depart if it has been loaded full with cargoes. This saved the agent expenses.

"We were not satisfied because we paid the full charges to ensure our cargo reached Brunei Darussalam on time," he said.

As such, he said he had to pay penalties due to the late completion of a government project by nearly a month.

Cargo forwarders were also in agony as they were pushed by companies who waited in vain for the deliveries of their products.

Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin