Ocean carrier China United Lines alleges it is owed $96.4 million in reparations from Amazon because the Seattle-based shipper failed to honor a transportation service contract the parties agreed to in 2022, according to a complaint filed this month with the Federal Maritime Commission.
President Donald Trump has chosen Louis Sola to chair the Federal Maritime Commission, the White House announced. Sola, previously an FMC commissioner, replaces Daniel Maffei, who is now listed as an FMC commissioner on the FMC’s website. Maffei chaired the FMC as it worked to implement a range of rulemakings as part of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022, including new rules governing unreasonable carrier conduct (see 2407220019) and detention and demurrage billing requirements (see 2402230049).
Illinois-based Euromarket Designs Inc., the parent company of furniture store chain Crate & Barrel, has accused several ocean carriers of failing to meet their service contract commitments and charging tens of millions of dollars in unfair fees, according to a complaint released by the Federal Maritime Commission Jan. 8.
The New York-based entity formerly known as Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. has accused Hong Kong-based carrier BAL Container Line Co. of charging “unjust and unreasonable” demurrage and detention fees during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a complaint released by the Federal Maritime Commission Jan. 8.
The Federal Maritime Commission released a two-page policy statement Jan. 2 clarifying it's authorized to hear class-action complaints involving statutes it administers.
A Federal Maritime Commission administrative law judge on Dec. 18 dismissed a complaint against CMA CGM, saying that New York-based freight forwarder Marine Transport Logistics (MTL) failed to show that the France-based ocean carrier routinely engaged in unreasonable conduct with container shipments.
Recent reports of actions by the Spanish government to deny port access to certain U.S. ships could “strain” U.S. trade ties between the two countries, Federal Maritime Commissioner Louis Sola warned in a Dec. 19 statement. He said he’s concerned Spain's actions could threaten U.S. critical supply chains and that he supports the FMC’s ongoing investigation of the matter.
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.
A report released by outgoing Federal Maritime Commissioner Carl Bentzel (see 2412130068) calls on the FMC to create a new Maritime Transportation Data System, which he said would allow the ocean shipping industry to better share and receive information on planned carrier voyages, cargo retrieval windows, real-time vessel transits and times of arrival, and more.
Baylink Shipping, a New York-based non-vessel operating common carrier, has voluntarily dismissed it complaint accusing ocean carrier ZIM Integrated Shipping Services of unfairly charging more than $136,000 in fees for a cargo container that spent more than 20 months in detention, according to a notice the Federal Maritime Commission posted online Dec. 12. Baylink, which filed the complaint in November (see 2411260049), didn't state a reason for the dismissal.