The partial closure, with two wharves sometimes out of action at a time, is to allow the installation of new crane rails. It kept inbound vessels waiting to berth for up to four days in April and May, but port authorities say waiting times have been shortened since.
"Cargo owners have to bear a congestion surcharge of $50 for each small container and $100 for a bigger 40-TEU container per day," Thanit Soraj, deputy chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries, said. Klong Toei handles about 1.4 million containers a year, he said.
Thanit said berthing delays at Klong Toei's river wharves also caused problems for ships, mostly feeder vessels that need to keep crucial sailing schedules for connecting with parent vessels in Singapore or Hong Kong.
Shippers say Klong Toei's long berthing queue had prompted many ships to divert to Thailand's bigger deep-sea port at Laem Chabang southeast of Bangkok.
"Although this alternative has eased Klong Toei's problems, shippers have to bear additional vessel sailing expenses and the considerable cost of hauling containers from Laem Chabang to Bangkok," Thanit said.
The Bangkok river port mostly handles feeder vessels carrying 1,000-1,500 containers, against the average 3,000 containers hauled by ships calling at Laem Chabang.
Chalermchai Meekhun-eam, head of the state-run Port Authority of Thailand, said the authorities were trying to ease Klong Toei's congestion.
"Klong Toei's 30-year-old crane rails have to be replaced. We are doing our best to speed up the work, for example by using quicker-setting cement for their foundations," he said.
Chalermchai partly blamed the backlog of berthing ships on long holidays in April when port workers, importers and exporters were celebrating the Thai New Year.
"We also had another four or five days of holidays in May. What we are trying to do now is to avoid closing two wharves at the same time ... although the seven wharves will not all be in full operation until late this year," he told Reuters.
An executive of the Thai National Shippers' Council, grouping 2,700 private importers and exporters, also said efficiency at Klong Toei had long been hampered by the labour union's refusal to allow private firms in to help improve operations.
"Container hauling and other jobs at the port are monopolised by the union, which stops management making better use of its underutilised bulk-cargo storage areas to provide more space for keeping containers," said the official, who declined to be identified. (Reuters)
