SIMIC

The Vietnam Maritime Administration (VMA) has vowed to probe prices on the transpacific and Asia-Europe tradelanes, where costs to ship boxes have shot up to record levels in recent months.

"The continuous increase in freight rates and surcharges has caused many difficulties for businesses, increasing transportation and storage costs, affecting production and distribution of goods," deputy head of the VMA Hoang Hong Giang told state-run media, adding, going on to discuss the large number of containers being rolled and also arriving late at their planned destination.

The VMA is demanding liners be far more transparent with their rates and surcharges.

Last year, Vietnamese ports handled 14.65 million TEU, up 10.6 per cent, reports Singapore's Splash 247.

Many regulatory authorities including in China, the US and South Korea are also looking into liners' pricing tactics in recent months, with the record shipping costs and concurrent supply chain glitches making regular mainstream headlines.