Freight forwarders have slammed the number of surcharges by ocean carriers, claiming they make it difficult to keep track of prices and to pass on to customers.

Forwarders told IFW carriers were pushing rates up by using a variety of surcharges, not just general rate increases (GRIs).

"Zim has recently announced an 'emergency revenue' charge �C I don't know what the difference is between that and a normal GRI," said one forwarder.

"There are so many surcharges, all with different names," she added.