Shipping containers are stacked up at the Port Otago terminal, at Port Chalmers. PHOTO: LINDA ROBERTSONCalls are mounting for the government to step in and lobby shipping lines over the rising cost of freight. Typically, freight forwarders hire containers from shipping companies and are required to return them or 'dehire' them to a storage facility by an agreed time. She said in one instance, one of its members was invoiced more than $8000 in detention fees and in most cases these costs will be passed onto consumers. "The shipping lines acknowledge these capacity issues will not be resolved for some months," says Dawson.

Source: Otago Daily Times February 22, 2021 19:07 UTC