Shipping company MSC and seven others have announced that, from June onwards, ‘freight collect’ will be charged for exports from Argentina. This means that the charges will be billed to the party receiving a shipment. Most companies have not charged import freight in the country for the past two weeks.
Since the Central Bank established a decree encouraging the non-collection of freight rates for imports, operators wondered when a similar export restriction would be established. Companies have been accumulating pesos while being unable to exchange them into dollars.
Argentina, like Venezuela, now falls into the “dirty port” category, where freight cannot be paid in local currency. Since May 15, shipping companies have not been charging import freight in Argentina; these payments are made through local freight agents, who can transfer dollars abroad. The decision responded to the Central Bank’s resolution that deferred payments of around $2 billion in service and freight imports.
Source: datamarnews.com