NEW ORLEANS -- Federal Maritime Commissioner Max Vekich signaled he’s open to a further expansion of FMC authority, including potentially allowing the FMC to scrutinize certain rail storage fees.
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union said it has reached a "tentative agreement" with the Pacific Maritime Association on "certain key issues," but talks are still ongoing. ILWU Local 13, which represents dockworkers at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, said in an April 20 press release that talks "are continuing on an ongoing basis until an agreement is reached" on a new labor contract (see 2303270032).
Operations have resumed at both the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach after workers returned for their evening shift on Friday night, Bloomberg reported on April 7, ending a worker shortage that began the previous day (see 2304070060). The Pacific Maritime Association, which represents West Coast ports, had claimed that the shortage was due to deliberate action by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union amid contract negotiations (see 2304070060).
The Federal Maritime Commission is updating its current user fees. The changes are meant to reflect changes in salaries for employees of fee-generating services. Some fees will increase due to the increase in salaries for employees of those agencies, while for one service the rule lowers fees as "less-senior employees" are assigned to the "fee-generating activity," according to the memo. Comments on the new rule are due April 20. The rule will take effect June 5 if no comments are received.
Major shipping line Mediterranean Shipping Co. asked the Federal Maritime Commission to dismiss an order stemming from a refund owed to SOFi Paper Products. MSC said it refunded SOFi in full and the dispute should be resolved.
The Federal Maritime Commission should approve a proposed settlement with Taiwanese shipping line Wan Hai Lines, the shipping line and the FMC's Bureau of Enforcement, Investigations and Compliance (BEIC) told the commission this week. If the settlement is approved, Wan Hai Lines would be required to pay the FMC $950,000 and issue refunds to parties impacted by its alleged violations of U.S. shipping regulations.
Ocean freight and rail freight likely will be returning to a pre-COVID pandemic normal by the end of 2023, a logistics executive said at a Feb. 23 conference.
President Joe Biden signed into law Dec. 2 a bill that forces all 12 railroad unions to accept the terms of a contract negotiated by their leaders, with an assist from the administration. Since the negotiations concluded in September, four unions had rejected the contract's terms. The law will prevent a nationwide rail shutdown. If any workers choose to strike now, it would be a wildcat strike, which means they would have no job protections.
MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company (USA) Inc. violated the Shipping Act when it failed to meet “minimum” requirements related to its detention and demurrage invoices for container shipments from Russia to Seattle, construction services company Doka said in a recent complaint to the Federal Maritime Commission. Doka said MSC charged it more than $260,000 in detention and demurrage charges for delays that the shipping line had caused, calling its practices “unfair” and “unreasonable.” The FMC should order MSC to pay Doka reparations and force the shipping company to waive the fees, Doka said.
The Transportation Department's Maritime Administration on Oct. 28 announced the awarding of $703 million in grants from the Port Infrastructure Development Program, for 41 projects for coastal seaports, Great Lakes ports and inland river ports. The American Association of Port Authorities said the bipartisan infrastructure package allowed more spending than ever happened in past years.