Shipping company OL USA notified the Federal Maritime Commission last week that it has reached a settlement agreement with Maersk, which it accused in February of violating the Shipping Act by failing to keep its "automated tariff system" open for public inspection (see 2402200007).
Importer ICL USA, which filed a complaint with the Federal Maritime Commission against trucker Dependable Highway Express and ocean carrier Mediterranean Shipping Co. seven months ago (see 2401170077), joined the other companies this month in submitting a notice of voluntary dismissal of the case.
The U.S. Navy is trying to help commercial cargo ships maintain the alternative trade routes companies have found as the U.S. works to end Houthi attacks on ships transiting the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, Vice Admiral George Wikoff said. And although the U.S. has used sanctions to target several Iran-backed networks helping to supply the Houthis, he said the U.S.-designated terror group is increasingly diversifying its suppliers and is becoming a legitimate technology exporter.
Federal Maritime Commissioner Louis Sola is “confident” Panama will take needed steps to minimize future disruptions to the Panama Canal after a drought lowered water levels and impacted supply chains in recent months (see 2401180050), Sola said in a press release this week. Sola, who recently visited with Panamanian officials alongside FMC Chair Daniel Maffei (see 2407290041), said there will “always” be supply chain challenges but that he is “optimistic that continuing collaboration between the FMC and key officials in Panama will result in improving the efficiencies of this critical global trade route,” the release said.
Texas-based freight forwarder Sealink International (SLI) illegally sold the cargo of California-based exporter Triple L Global (TLG) to an unknown buyer without permission and without the required 10-day written notice, TLG alleged in a complaint filed with the Federal Maritime Commission this week.
Members of the Federal Maritime Commission are traveling to the Panama Canal this week to examine the supply chain aftereffects from a recent drought (see 2401180050). The FMC also will review the measures the Panamanian government and the Panama Canal Authority “have identified to improve the infrastructure of the Canal and make it more resilient to any future disruptions, particularly droughts.”
The Federal Maritime Commission continues to consider a request to delay its new final rule on demurrage and detention billing requirements, said Rich Roche, who chairs the Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier Subcommittee of the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America.
Ocean carrier Hapag-Lloyd provided motor carrier S.P.F. Logistics of Long Beach, California, with inadequate opportunities to return empty containers, forcing SPF to store the containers at its own expense, according to a complaint filed July 16 with the Federal Maritime Commission.
The Federal Maritime Commission announced this week that it’s adding China-based Anji Shipping Co. to its Controlled Carrier List, a list of carriers subject to increased FMC regulations because they are directly or indirectly owned by foreign governments. The FMC said Anji will be subject to certain controlled carrier regulations, including rate review standards to ensure that it doesn't unfairly use its government-supported position against competitors.
The Federal Maritime Commission will prevent a new vessel-sharing agreement between major ocean carriers Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd from going into effect this week because it needs more information about the potential competitive impact of the arrangement, the agency announced July 12.