Mediterranean Shipping Company (USA) says it will implement a general rate increase for commodity wastepaper shipments to the Far East, starting August 1.

A statement from the shipping line said "market conditions, including rising fuel costs and other operational factors, have necessitated this increase."

From the beginning of next month, the following fixed increases will apply for commodity wastepaper to the Far East: US$30 on port-to-port shipments from Long Beach, $50 on port-to-port shipments from Oakland, and $100 on all inland point intermodal (IPI) shipments moving via Long Beach

MSC is a privately-owned company based in Geneva, Switzerland. The company operates more than 318 container vessels on services calling in ports around the globe, and is ranked second only to Maersk as the largest cargo steamship line in the world.