The Federal Maritime Commission on Jan. 11 approved a new surcharge on certain outbound shipments handled by Vanguard Logistics. The approval allows the California-based logistics firm to immediately begin charging the fees -- which the company is using to make up for added costs from trade disruptions around the Red Sea -- as opposed to giving 30 days' notice.
A Texas shipper accused major Chinese ocean carrier Cosco Shipping Lines of violating U.S. shipping regulations through unfair detention and demurrage charges, costing it nearly $2 million in damages. Visual Comfort & Co, a shipper of lighting products, said Cosco “refused” to extend free days for containers that couldn’t be returned to the port and declined to divert shipments to less crowded ports, allowing the carrier to charge “astronomical” D&D fees.
U.S. terminal operator SSA violated the Shipping Act by imposing “unjust and unreasonable” fees on Bal Container Line Co. Ltd., the Hong Kong carrier alleged in a complaint to the Federal Maritime Commission.
Easy Shipping Corp. of Calumet Park, Illinois, mishandled the shipment of four vehicles from Savannah to Al-Khums, Libya, causing exporting company USL Auto Exporting Inc. of Charlotte, North Carolina, to sustain at least $52,710 in damages, USL alleged in a complaint to the Federal Maritime Commission.