From now on, in the USA, shipping companies will no longer be able to refuse their customers cargo slots their goods on board their ships, where available. The Federal Maritime Commission decided this by publishing a new rule yesterday.
Its purpose is clear. To put an end to the irregular conduct often adopted by liners during the Covid era, when it was not uncommon for carriers to breach contractual clauses in order to force shippers to resort to the spot market, where freight rates are higher.
The rule, which will come into force 60 days after its publication in the Federal Register, stipulates that carriers can’t decline to transport goods on the basis of pre-determined contracts if they are unable to prove that there is a reasonable justification for refusing them.
Translation by Giles Foster