Costly low-sulphur fuel prices are expected to be 50 and 100 per cent above normal bunker costs, and will be driven up even by higher demand from 2015 onwards, warns German container carrier Hapag-Lloyd.

'Consequently, Hapag-Lloyd will need to revise the current Low Sulphur Fuel Surcharges for all quotations with a validity into 2015,' said a company statement.

'As from January 2015, all shipping lines will be affected by stricter low sulphur fuel laws on trades crossing North Europe, the Baltic, US and Canada. The sulphur content in fuel has to be reduced from one per cent to 0.1 per cent. California applies this rule already today,' said the company.

The Port of Hong Kong's container throughput rose 5.6% in June to 1.93m teu from 1.82m teu in the previous corresponding period.

However volumes fell from the 1.95m teu moved the month before.
Throughput at the main Kwai Tsing terminals rose 8.9% to 1.56m teu from 1.43m teu in June last year. However at the non-Kwai Tsing terminals volumes continued a downward trend, falling by 6.3% to 370,000 teu from 395,000 teu previously.

The month-on-month figure was also lower compared to the 390,000 teu seen in May this year, while for the Kwai Tsing terminals, there was almost no change from the month before.

More than a 120 striking truck drivers at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach voted to return to work Friday, ending a five-day protest that briefly halted cargo flows at the ports, organizers said. The drivers decided late Friday to end their job action against three firms they accuse of widespread workplace violations. 

The decision came after the companies promised to allow all drivers back to work without retaliation and a request from Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti for a 'cooling-off period,' organizers said.

In a statement, the mayor said that the city held meetings with both sides and that the outcome will allow Los Angeles' harbor commission time to investigate the 'serious allegations regarding worker safety, poor working conditions and unfair labor practices.'