Florida Company Pays $165K, Hires Monitor to Resolve FMC Allegations
Double Ace Cargo, a Florida-based non-vessel-operating common carrier (NVOCC), has paid $165,000 in civil penalties and is paying for an independent monitoring of its business practices under two compromise agreements it reached with the Federal Maritime Commission over the past nearly two years, the FMC announced Feb. 7.
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Under the first agreement, reached in June 2023, Double Ace paid $115,000 to resolve allegations it violated the law by transporting shipments on behalf of entities that weren't licensed NVOCCs, didn't have bonds, and didn't publish tariffs, the FMC said.
A follow-up investigation completed in early 2024 led to similar allegations, which Double Ace paid $50,000 to resolve, the announcement says. As part of that second agreement, Double Ace is paying for an independent monitor for a 12-month period ending May 2025. The monitor reports monthly to the director of the FMC’s Bureau of Enforcement, Investigations, and Compliance (BEIC).
"Requiring that a regulated entity accept and pay for ongoing monitoring by an independent company reporting directly to BEIC is new to previous compromise agreements," the FMC said. "This arrangement allows BEIC to continue assessing the compliance and integrity of a company accused of wrongdoing while preserving the resources of the bureau to conduct investigations of other companies."