Maersk line on Friday doubled its congestion surcharge for shipments from the U.S. and Canada to Manila, citing a slowdown in port operations, increasing vessel turn times and higher operating costs.

The congestion seen at Manila since early this year, which is some of the worst congestion seen at any major container port this year, is starting to drive shippers offshore, and investors are warning of higher consumer prices in the Philippines as a direct consequence of the chronic port congestion experienced at Manila. A culture of corruption at the port involving everyone from security guards, to truckers to sub-contractors of shipping lines was the subject of a Senate committee hearing this week where the culture was described by a senior executive of the global, Philippines-based terminal operator ICTSI.

More in the Journal of Commerce