Kota Kinabalu: Shipping companies whose vessels ply the peninsula-Sabah route have been levying high arbitrary shipping charges that are passed off as fuel surcharge, emergency charges, etc. 

These have raised shipping costs up to RM6,000 per 20-foot shipping container (TEU) and RM11,000 per 40-foot shipping container (FEU).

Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) Sabah Branch Chief James Ha Haw Yew hopes the Government will negotiate with these operators “to reduce such costs by 20 per cent to 30 per cent from current levels.”