Effective April 24, 2006 the Traffic Mitigation Fee (TMF) at the Ports of Long Angeles and Long
Beach will increase from US$ 40 to US$ 50 for 20′ containers, and from US$ 80 to US$ 100 for 40′,
0’HC and 45′ containers. The TMF is collected by
PierPASS on full container shipments moving through the ports at peak-hours, Monday through Friday
from 3 a.m. to 6 p.m. PierPASS was created by terminal operators in July 2005 to reduce traffic
congestion and improve air quality in and around the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach by creating night and
weekend “OffPeak” shifts for container delivery and pick-up. NVOCCs that collect the
TMF for full containers and/or LCL must include the charge in their FMC tariffs.

According to PierPASS, the increase to the TMF is required to offset increased operating costs,
which are in part due to the success of the program. PierPASS reported in January that between 30
and 35 percent of container cargo at the ports is now moving during OffPeak hours. When OffPeak
began in July 2005 a goal of only 15 to 20 percent was set for the first year of operation. For
more information regarding the OffPeak program, PierPASS and the increased TMF visit
http://www.PierPASS.org/.

On March 1, 2006 FMC Chairman Steven R. Blust made his annual appearance before the
U.S. House
Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation to review the proposed FMC budget for
fiscal year 2007. Commissioner Blust appeared along with Bruce A. Dombrowski, the Director of
the Office of Administration and Rebecca Fenneman, an attorney in the Office of the General
Counsel. President Bush’s fiscal year 2007 budget proposal appropriates $21,474,000 for the
FMC. This will provide the Commission with an increase of 5.8 percent, or $1,180,000 over
the appropriation for the current fiscal year 2006, which ends Sep. 30, 2006. The proposed
2007 budget includes funds to maintain current staff and fund all current programs. It
also includes funds to hire two new employees: a Commissioner’s Counsel and an attorney
for the Office of Consumer Affairs and Dispute Resolution Services.

Chairman Blust emphasized the Commission’s current activities. Blust outlined the progress
of NVOCC Service Arrangements (NSAs). He noted the Commission is reviewing the option of
allowing joint NSAs offered by multiple NVOCCs, and is currently evaluating comments on
potential new regulations. The Chairman also highlighted the successful conclusion of the
Commission’s investigation into shipping restriction, requirements and practices of The
People’s Republic of China. The investigation, opened August 12, 1998, was concluded
April 21, 2005 one year after a U.S.-China bilateral maritime agreement went into effect.
The maritime agreement addressed many of the concerns raised by the Commission and was
deemed successfully implemented with the conclusion of the FMC’s investigation.
The Chairman pointed out that U.S. vessel operator,
Matson, has recently opened two new offices in China and that their first vessel
in the Ningbo-Shanghai-Long Beach
express service called in Ningbo on February 21, 2006.

Chairman Blust also outlined the actions the Commission recently took against unlicensed
household goods forwarders, and reviewed the agency’s public outreach programs, including its
informational seminars and FMC staff briefings with various industry representatives. The Chairman
emphasized the FMC’s important role in combating unlawful participation in the U.S. ocean
transportation system, as well as ensuring that marine terminal operators follow just and
reasonable practices. Blust noted that the FMC is a member of the Committee on the Marine
Transportation System, the inter-agency group created by the Bush Administration to ensure
that the U.S. marine transportation system achieves the expansion required to support
increased levels of traffic in the 21st century. Lastly, Blust stressed the FMC’s continued
information-sharing with the
U.S. Customs Service and the FMC’s role in national security.

The Westbound Transpacific Stabilization Agreement (WTSA), whose member carriers serve
the trade lanes between the USA and East Asia, has announced increases to Bunker Adjustment
Factors (BAF) and Inland Fuel Charges (IFC). Effective May 1 to May 31, 2006 these surcharges
will be as follows. Amounts shown here are in US dollars ($):

Members of the WTSA are American President Lines, China Shipping Container Lines, COSCO
Container
Lines, Evergreen Marine Corp., Hanjin Shipping, Hapag-Lloyd Container Line, Hyundai Merchant
Marine,
“K” Line, NYK Line, OOCL and Yang Ming Marine. For more information visit
www.wtsacarriers.org
or the review the tariffs of the member carriers.

The carrier members of the Transpacific Stabilization Agreement (TSA), FMC Agreement No.
011223,
serving the East Asia/USA trade lane have announced increases to the Bunker Adjustment Factors
(BAF)
and Inland Fuel Charge (IFC), and General Rate Increases (GRI) effective May 1, 2006. Details are
as
follows in US dollars ($):

The Panama Canal Charge assessed by TSA carriers on shipments passing thru the
Panama Canal will
also increase on May 1 from $165 to $192 per container

TSA member carriers are American President Lines, COSCO Container Lines Ltd.,
Evergreen Marine Corp.,
Hanjin Shipping, Hapag-Lloyd Container Line, Hyundai Merchant Marine, “K” Line, Mitsui
O.S.K. Lines,
NYK Line, OOCL and Yang Ming Marine. Additional information on surcharges
applied by the TSA carriers
is available at http://www.tsacarriers.org and in the
FMC tariffs of member carriers.