The new bunker surcharge announced by several of the world's top liner companies has triggered unease among the shippers that appear liable to pay the new surcharge. At one of the world's biggest shippers, Electrolux, Bjørn Vang, vice president of Global Logistics, does not try to hide his disappointment at the new surcharge.

"I have sympathy for the carriers' challenges, but refer to the agreements we and many other BCOs (beneficial cargo owner) have only very recently entered into, both parties with eyes wide open. These agreements include specific clauses around bunker prices, and we expect that the carriers will respect those, as we of course intend to," he writes in a comment on LinkedIn.