The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) is in the process of independently verifying allegations that carriers are refusing to carry export cargo in contravention of the US Shipping Act.
[s2If is_user_logged_in()]Commissioner Carl Bentzel told Container News in the latest One-to-One interview now available here, that the FMC is looking at information provided to the commission that lines “in their haste to get boxes back to Asia for [US] imports have not been paying attention to their obligations to provide services to our exporters.”
Bentzel said the FMC is in the process of independently verifying the allegations to make certain that they are accurate, but the “question is one of reasonableness and we’re looking at that now.”
The investigations into the carrier behaviour, following allegations from shippers has also extended to evaluating the alliance agreements to understand how they are working and to check if there have been unreasonable practices, “We have the authority to levy penalties,” added Bentzel.
In a wide ranging interview covering the expected new developments within the FMC, a new approach now that the Biden administration has taken over and a personal interest of Bentzel himself the development of inland waterways in the US to cut emissions and congestion at US ports.
The full One-to-One interview can also be viewed on the Container News You Tube Channel.
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