Terminal Operator Overcharged Non-Preferred Stevedores, FMC Judge Says
A Federal Maritime Commission administrative law judge ordered marine terminal operator APS East Coast (Amports) Dec. 16 to stop invoicing Ports America Chesapeake (PAC) and Marine Terminals Corporation-East (MTCE) for $1.3 million in non-preferred stevedore access fees, saying the charges were “unjust and unreasonable” because they were “much higher” than the fees charged to the preferred stevedore.
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But the judge said that PAC and MTCE are not entitled to the reparations they requested because they failed to show the higher access fees caused them to lose profits.
PAC and MTCE, which provide stevedoring services in Baltimore, filed their complaint in June 2023, saying the access fees were “baseless and punitive” and resulted in substantial lost business (see 2306080021).