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.
Mediterranean Shipping Co. is set to buy Italy's Rimorchiatori Mediterranei, MSC announced via an emailed statement Oct. 23, Bloomberg reported. Rimorchiatori is an international towage firm operating in Italy, Malta, Singapore, Malaysia, Norway, Greece and Colombia. MSC said it agreed to acquire the company via its unit SAS Shipping Agencies Services Sarl from Rimorchiatori Riuniti and a fund managed by DWS's Infrastructure Investment business, Bloomberg said. Terms weren't disclosed.
The Airforwarders Association and the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America say tax money is needed to underpin the air cargo industry, because of "substantial revenue shortfalls" at airports. "Because of the lagging financials, airports will be allocating the monies of the Infrastructure Act to passengers, security, and safety, leaving insufficient funds to sustain air cargo operations," the groups said Oct. 18.
The Federal Maritime Commission this week officially sent its proposed rule on demurrage and detention billing requirements to the Federal Register (see 2210070079). Public comments on the rule are due Dec. 13.
CORONADO, Calif. -- The Federal Maritime Commission is “carefully monitoring capacity” as the potential rises for economic troubles on the horizon, with some predictions calling for a repeat of 2009, FMC Commissioner Rebecca Dye said in remarks at the Western Cargo Conference Oct. 7.