The Federal Maritime Commission has asked a group of major ocean shipping carriers to provide it with more information about an amendment to an agreement that would allow them to participate in the New York Shipping Exchange index governing board, “which shall discuss and agree on all aspects of the development, implementation, modification and auditing of container freight indices, as produced by NYSHEX,” the FMC said in a notice released March 14. The commission said its notice prevented “the proposed amendment to this agreement from becoming effective as originally scheduled” on March 12. The parties to the agreement are carriers CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd, COSCO Shipping Lines, COSCO Shipping Co., HMM, Maersk, and Ocean Network Express.
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.
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.
A bipartisan, bicameral bill would create a Maritime Security Trust Fund, into which revenues would come from tonnage fees on Chinese-owned and Chinese-flagged ships visiting U.S. ports, special tonnage taxes, light money, and tariffs and duties, including Section 301 tariffs.
California-based motor carrier Access One Transport and France-based ocean carrier CMA CGM have jointly asked the Federal Maritime Commission to approve a confidential agreement that would settle Access One’s complaint against CMA CGM over unfair detention and unfair chassis, storage, stop-off and redelivery fees, according to a notice FMC released Nov. 22. Access One filed its complaint in April (see 2405010027). CMA CGM answered the complaint in May by denying the allegations.
A Federal Maritime Commission small claims officer this week dismissed a complaint against CMA CGM, saying that shipper Sameh Elawamry failed to show that the ocean carrier did anything improper in its unsuccessful delivery of two vehicles to Egypt.
The Federal Maritime Commission collected more than $2.3 million in fines after entering into compromise agreements with three companies, the FMC said May 29. The companies, CMA-CGM, Vangaurd Logistics Services and Shipco Transport, paid money to resolve various allegations of shipping violations that had been investigated by the commission’s Bureau of Enforcement, Investigations and Compliance.
PKDC, a Colorado-based furniture distributor, accused ocean carrier CMA CGM of refusing to meet its commitments to the distributor, coercing "extracontractual" payments from PKDC, and charging detention and demurrage for situations outside the distributor's control. The furniture distributor, in a complaint to the Federal Maritime Commission dated May 10, said it paid over $1 million in unreasonable detention and demurrage and that CMA CGM cost it over $12 million by refusing to meet its quantity commitments under the service contract.
CMA CGM charged unfair detention and unfair chassis, storage, stop-off and redelivery fees, Access One Transport said in a complaint filed with the Federal Maritime Commission March 1. The California-based motor carrier said CMA CGM violated the Shipping Act by charging unfair fees when the containers couldn't be returned due to lack of appointments, dual transactions and specific actions by CMA CGM and its terminals.
Two Supply Source subsidiaries filed another five complaints at the Federal Maritime Commission Feb. 14 against multiple carriers, accusing them of violating the Shipping Act and charging unfair detention and demurrage from 2021 to 2022, leading to over $2.1 million in financial damages. The companies include COSCO Shipping Lines, Lihua Logistics Company Limited, CMA CGM, Overseas Container Line Limited, and Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp.