Transporters warn that the rise in the fuel surcharge will make products in the Balearic Islands even more expensive
The freight transport employers' association demands urgent aid from the Government to compensate for the increase in logistics costs derived from insularity
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PalmaThe Balearic Business Federation of Transport (FEBT) warned this Friday that the average 8% increase applied this October by the main shipping companies to the fuel surcharge will make the products that arrive in the Balearic Islands more expensive. Given this situation, the employers' association has demanded urgent aid from the Government to compensate for the increase in freight transport costs and avoid them being passed on in full to companies and consumers.
The increase affects maritime connections between the Peninsula and the Archipelago operated by Baleària, GNV, and Trasmed. According to the FEBT, the companies have raised the so-called Bunker Adjustment Factor (BAF) by around 8%, a variable surcharge applied to maritime transport tariffs based on the evolution of international fuel prices.
The president of the FEBT's Business Association of Goods, Ezequiel Horrach, has warned that transport companies do not have the capacity to absorb this increase in costs, given the dependence on maritime transport to guarantee the supply of the Islands.
According to the employers' association, the extra cost will end up being transferred to the entire logistics chain and, consequently, to the final prices of daily consumer products that arrive in the Archipelago. Among these are food, consumer goods, and supplies.
The FEBT considers that this price increase could affect the purchasing power of residents and aggravate the additional costs that companies must assume due to insularity.
The FEBT demands direct subsidies
Given this scenario, Horrach has demanded that the Government urgently adopt economic support measures, with direct aid and subsidies intended to compensate for the increase in the cost of freight transport.
The employers' association is calling for specific measures to mitigate the effects of island status and prevent the increase in logistics costs from falling entirely on businesses and consumers in the Balearic Islands.
