The Federal Maritime Commission opened a proceeding against attorney Marcus Nussbaum pertaining to alleged professional misconduct, in which Nussbaum will have a chance to show cause why he should not be hit with a penalty or suspension of his ability to practice before the comission.
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.
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The Federal Maritime Commission is granting ocean carriers special permission to immediately hike rates on containers that are being rerouted around the southern cape of Africa, in response to concerns over possible Houthi rebel attacks on usual routes through the Red Sea.
The Federal Maritime Commission hired David Eng as the agency's new secretary. Eng, who most recently worked as a branch chief at the Departmental Appeals Board of the Department of Health and Human Services, will process Shipping Act complaints and communications submitted to the FMC, maintain records of meetings, and conduct other clerical activities on behalf of the commission.
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.
The Federal Maritime Commission finalized several changes to its rules for carrier automated tariffs, including one that would bar carriers from charging a fee to access their tariff systems and others that aim to increase transparency around certain “pass-through” charges assessed to shippers. The FMC also abandoned a proposed change that would have required the documentation for a broader range of containers to include the name of all non-vessel operating common carriers with touchpoints to that cargo, a proposal that faced strong opposition from multiple trade groups and logistics companies.
Bed Bath & Beyond filed a complaint with the Federal Maritime Commission this week accusing Mediterranean Shipping Company of violating the terms of a service contract and unjustly assessing millions of dollars in detention and demurrage charges. The company said MSC failed to meet its service requirements, coerced Bed Bath & Beyond into paying "extracontractual prices and surcharges," and assessed fees when Bed Bath & Beyond couldn't pick up or return the containers.