The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) is continuing to hone in on the detention and demurrage tariffs applied by shipping lines i.e. the fees for the temporary storage of containers in and outside port terminals beyond the free period.
Since the 2022 Ocean Reform Act came into force, more and more companies have increasingly turned to the US Authority to challenge unjustified or excessive fees.
If in January, following a total of 200 complaints, the FMC had managed to get $700,000 in refunds and compensation for the erroneous or incorrect application of D&D tariffs, in May refunds hit the $1 million mark.
This is an important result that strongly endorses the role of the Authority and its commitment to fighting big carriers’ misconduct.
Translation by Giles Foster