The Transatlantic Stabilization Agreement carrier group said in a statement that its member lines would raise a planned peak season surcharge of $ 400 per 40-foot container from Asia to the US East Coast and US Gulf Coast to $ 500 effective July 15 and to $ 600 from Aug. 15 until Nov. 15.

The increased charge will apply to all containers moved through the Panama Canal or the Suez Canal, while the planned $ 400 surcharge for West Coast shipments will remain unchanged.

"The industry expected Asia-US cargo growth to moderate last year and it exceeded even the most optimistic forecasts," TSA Executive Director Albert Pierce said.

He added that the Asia-US route had seen four record years of mostly double-digit growth rates and that space on vessels was still tight.

TSA is a grouping of 11 liners in trans-Pacific trade.

Its members include American President Lines, Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Cosco Container, Mitsui O.S.K., Evergreen Marine, Nippon Yusen Kaisha, Hanjin Shipping, Orient Overseas, Hapag Lloyd, Yangming Marine and Hyundai Merchant Marine

The group predicted last year that US inland rail and trucking costs could rise by 25 percent in 2006, while the cost of returning empty containers to ports could rise by 11 percent.

The TSA and its counterpart covering the Asia-Europe route, the Far Eastern Freight Conference, say they do not set container freight rates but look at factors such as economic conditions and fuel costs and then recommend price adjustments.