US Ag Container Shippers Experience Abandoned, Request FMC for Assist

Since early Oct, shipments of agricultural products by containers ended up discontinued by the key shipping line Hapag-Lloyd, a German intercontinental shipping and delivery and transportation business. I wrote a column highlighting the hardships this would induce for shippers, and considering the fact that then, not considerably has improved. Examine that article listed here: https://www.dtnpf.com/….

A lot of agricultural exporters have asked for formal motion from the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) to investigate denied and canceled container bookings among the other really serious problems continue to resulting in them challenges to ship ag commodities. In response to letters from the agricultural export community and USDA, FMC expanded its investigation into no matter if carriers in alliances that simply call on the ports of Extensive Seashore, Los Angeles, New York and/or New Jersey are violating federal rules, USDA famous in its Dec. 3 Grain Transportation Report. Procedures under investigation for attainable violations concern demurrage and detention, container return, container availability for U.S. export cargoes and other relevant problems.

On Nov. 19, the FMC permitted a supplemental buy that expands the authority of Point Discovering 29, “Global Ocean Transportation Provide Chain Engagement.” The supplemental order authorizes Commissioner Rebecca F. Dye, as the specified truth-acquiring officer, to examine ocean carriers operating in alliances and contacting the Port of Lengthy Beach front, the Port of Los Angeles or the Port of New York and New Jersey. The expanded fee investigation will find to ascertain if the policies and practices of those people transport providers related to detention and demurrage, container return and container availability for U.S. export cargoes violate 46 U.S.C. 41102(c). https://www.fmc.gov/…

In a news release on Nov. 20, Commissioner Dye built the following assertion in response to the commission’s supplemental order: “The time has occur to resolve the most severe impediments to port functionality. I’d like to thank my fellow commissioners for their guidance of the supplemental order for Truth Obtaining 29, as I emphasis the investigation on the extraordinary problems in the Ports of Los Angeles, Lengthy Seaside and New York/New Jersey. The Order emphasizes I, as Point-Locating Officer, have all enforcement alternatives at my disposal to deal with the disaster that exists in our main port gateways.