Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Panamanian officials Feb. 2 that President Donald Trump has made a preliminary determination that China’s influence and control over the Panama Canal area threatens the waterway and violates the 1977 agreement that transferred U.S. control of the canal to Panama, according to State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce.
A Federal Maritime Commission administrative law judge has approved a confidential agreement to settle allegations by Giti Tire USA that San Francisco-based Flexport International charged unfair detention and demurrage fees and millions of dollars in other "accessorial charges" at unreasonable rates, according to an FMC notice released Jan. 24. “The parties have determined that the settlement reasonably resolves the issues raised in the complaint without the need for costly and uncertain litigation,” the judge wrote. Giti filed its complaint against Flexport in May (see 2405200019). Flexport, a non-vessel-operating common carrier, denied Giti’s allegations (see 2405210036).
Ocean carrier China United Lines alleges it is owed $96.4 million in reparations from Amazon because the Seattle-based shipper failed to honor a transportation service contract the parties agreed to in 2022, according to a complaint filed this month with the Federal Maritime Commission.
President Donald Trump has chosen Louis Sola to chair the Federal Maritime Commission, the White House announced. Sola, previously an FMC commissioner, replaces Daniel Maffei, who is now listed as an FMC commissioner on the FMC’s website. Maffei chaired the FMC as it worked to implement a range of rulemakings as part of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022, including new rules governing unreasonable carrier conduct (see 2407220019) and detention and demurrage billing requirements (see 2402230049).
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.
The New York-based entity formerly known as Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. has accused Hong Kong-based carrier BAL Container Line Co. of charging “unjust and unreasonable” demurrage and detention fees during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a complaint released by the Federal Maritime Commission Jan. 8.
The Federal Maritime Commission released a two-page policy statement Jan. 2 clarifying it's authorized to hear class-action complaints involving statutes it administers.
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.
Recent reports of actions by the Spanish government to deny port access to certain U.S. ships could “strain” U.S. trade ties between the two countries, Federal Maritime Commissioner Louis Sola warned in a Dec. 19 statement. He said he’s concerned Spain's actions could threaten U.S. critical supply chains and that he supports the FMC’s ongoing investigation of the matter.
A Federal Maritime Commission administrative law judge ordered marine terminal operator APS East Coast (Amports) Dec. 16 to stop invoicing Ports America Chesapeake (PAC) and Marine Terminals Corporation-East (MTCE) for $1.3 million in non-preferred stevedore access fees, saying the charges were “unjust and unreasonable” because they were “much higher” than the fees charged to the preferred stevedore.