Global shipping giant Maersk has introduced a congestion surcharge on containers moving through Lyttelton Port as operational pressures continue to affect vessel schedules and cargo flow.

The company said it has been monitoring constraints at the Lyttelton terminal since early November, warning customers in early November that productivity issues could impact services.

Maersk said more recent developments have placed further strain on schedules and capacity, prompting the introduction of a congestion fee from 1 December.

The surcharge is set at $200 United States dollars per container for both origin and destination cargo.

It applies across all trades, including New Zealand, the United States, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Guam, Colombia and Taiwan China.

Maersk said the fee is intended to support service reliability while pressures at the terminal continue.

A Maersk spokesperson said the company will continue to call at Lyttelton and is working to minimise the impact on customers.

The company said media reports suggesting long term changes to Lyttelton coverage on services such as JStar and Southern Star are inaccurate, and any adjustments currently being made relate only to the present conditions.

Maritime Union of New Zealand spokesman Victor Billot told chrislynchmedia.com Maersk’s surcharge is a direct consequence of Lyttelton Port Company management’s restructure of the container terminal.

Billot said workers have raised serious concerns about labour shortages and the loss of experienced staff.

He said twenty four foreman positions covered by a collective agreement have been disestablished and replaced with twelve team lead roles on individual agreements, despite Lyttelton Port Company not having enough trained staff to operate the new model.

Billot said this has created delays in loading and unloading container vessels and has caused congestion within the terminal. It said the issues have arisen entirely from management decisions, and not from industrial action.

Billot said several senior union members are currently facing disciplinary action for expressing concerns about the restructure, which the union described as an attempt to silence criticism.

The union said the surcharge will have a negative impact on Canterbury exporters, importers and local businesses. It said the fee signals to international carriers that the port’s operational stability has failed, causing reputational harm to the region.

The union said it continues to urge the Lyttelton Port Company Board and Christchurch City Holdings Limited to work with staff to restore stable operations and protect the port as a public asset.

Lyttelton Port Company has not responded to a request for comment.