Customer apoplexy is gathering in compounding measure on the Victorian waterfront with confirmation that the third force in the contest for the Port of Melbourne’s container business has seized leadership in the race to charge the highest terminal infrastructure fee.

That new force is called Victoria International Container Terminal (VICT) and on Friday its customers were told that from January 1 they would need to pay an “infrastructure surcharge” of $121.80 to introduce or remove a fully loaded container from its terminal at Webb Dock.