No Easy Solution To Global Container Shortage
The current shortage of containers has resulted in high freight rates for exporters and disrupted many Malaysian businesses that trade globally.
This, in turn, has led to calls from the Malaysian National Shippers’ Council (MNSC) for the government to intervene and provide some sort of fiscal relief to exporters in the form of tax incentives and the removal of the cap on total logistics costs for a Market Development Grant. (The grant, capped at 30% of logistics costs, is given by the government to encourage companies to expand their market.)
The Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) is also urging the government and the port authorities to leverage their relationships with shipping lines to get them to provide more services and capacity to Malaysian ports.