Container carriers’ request to extend the compliance deadline for new federal billing requirements is being vigorously opposed by their customers.
Regulators have imposed new billing standards on ocean carriers that shippers consider a “major step” toward eliminating abuse.
The supply chain crisis is over, but exporters are still paying more — and facing more logistical challenges — than they did before the pandemic.
Requiring container ship operators to file an export policy would be too costly — and unlawful as well, carriers tell regulators.
After labor unrest closed Los Angeles and Long Beach on Friday, ports on the East and Gulf coasts look even more attractive.
Despite lower demand for transportation, repealing the ocean carriers’ antitrust immunity is still in play on Capitol Hill.
Almost eight months without a union contract, container terminals and their workers are making customers nervous and risk losing business permanently, Global Supply Chain Week panelists warn.
Ocean carrier contracts and carriers’ ability to make a profit are put to the test in a proposed rule, according to reaction from shippers and carriers.
New guidance from the Federal Maritime Commission on disputing ocean carrier charges is considered a “landmark moment” by U.S. exporters.
President Biden plans to sign into law the Ocean Shipping Reform Act, the first ocean shipping regulations passed by Congress since 1998.
President Biden underscored his support for ocean shipping reform as he prepares to speak at the Port of LA. Here’s a rundown of major efforts the administration has taken to date to ease supply chain disruption.
Werner Enterprises asserts that a five-year waiver affecting its driver trainees will fill cab seats and improve safety.
Federal regulators will begin to assess how container lines are serving U.S. exporters.
U.S. export lobbyist Peter Friedmann discusses setbacks and progress made by shippers as they struggle to maintain market share overseas.
Ahead of talks with President Biden, the ILWU is calling out foreign carriers’ focus on profits as a hurdle to solving supply chain disruptions.
Biden’s port czar outlines a 90-day plan to expand operating hours along the U.S. supply chain.
The Federal Maritime Commission tells Congress exporters allege they are being threatened by ocean carriers if they complain about excessive fees and unfair practices.
The Federal Maritime Commission is open to considering a mandate on container carriers to book U.S. exports.
The proposals hope to enforce the carriage of trade and excessive penalties U.S. importers are being charged by foreign carriers.
Ag letter is the latest in a series of urgent pleas to stop the denial of trade and increased demurrage costs.
Fireworks could be stuck at sea by the time the Fourth of July rolls around. Blame massive port congestion and overloaded freight networks. The fireworks industry is asking the Biden administration to provide a fix, but what can it do?
AgTC’s Peter Friedmann said Hapag-Lloyd’s Rolf Habben Jansen failed to mention in a press conference that the container shipping lines are enjoying record profits “while pushing their customers into real financial trouble, some towards bankruptcy.”
Day Three of Global Supply Chain Week will cover topics related to food and CPG supply chains. Tyson Foods Chief Sustainability Officer John Tyson is set to start the day off with global sustainability in mind.
California calls on feds to protect exporters. Shipping groups claim California export cure will worsen congestion — including for importers.
Ocean carrier Maersk says it is “working closely with the Agriculture Transportation Coalition and local trucking associations to address their concerns of equipment availability and detention and demurrage issues.”
The Agriculture Transportation Coalition is grateful to the Federal Maritime Commission for its support of American shippers.
“This is one of the most difficult seasons we’ve been facing trying to move our cargo out of the United States,” says a California almond producer.
Bulk soybean and corn exports are way up, but containerized ag exports are waylaid by equipment shortfalls and Chinese inspections.
High cost of repositioning reefer equipment is hitting food exporters hard amid ongoing tariff fallout.
The Agriculture Transportation Coalition, together with TradeLanes, surveys hundreds of American shippers about the cost to their bottom lines of uncommunicated earliest return dates from ocean carriers.
The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission wants to learn the extent of allegations that ocean carriers are targeting noncontracted service providers for freight payment.
U.S. Federal Maritime Commission steps forward with notice of inquiry to evaluate alleged ocean carrier abuse of “merchant” definition for bill of lading responsibility.
The inability of ocean carriers to timely inform shippers of schedule changes results in costly logistics disruptions and potential for lost international sales.
Information sharing is part of Executive Director Gene Seroka’s quest for more efficient operations.
Containers are used to carry imports to the U.S., but they also carry exports from the U.S. The agriculture industry depends on them, but COVID-19 has caused the system to fray…
Analysis concludes West Coast ports have lost 19.4% of market share since 2006.
For years, exporters and importers have been frustrated by the former U.S. Customs and Border Protection process to withhold their names and addresses in manifest data from the public.
Leasing companies say a neutral chassis pool lacks incentive to invest the tens of millions of dollars each year to maintain viable chassis equipment.
Kuehne + Nagel’s Bill Rooney takes aim at RFQs and bunker surcharges in remarks to Agriculture Transportation Coalition
Ship calls and volume expected to pick up in July, officials from South Carolina and New York/New Jersey ports tell the Agriculture Transportation Coalition
Canceled shipments hurt carriers as much as blanked sailings sting customers, says Hamburg Süd’s president for North America
Quick action sets the bar for terminal operators across the country, says Agriculture Transportation Coalition chief
Port of LA chief promotes nationwide port optimization system to enhance visibility and improve execution
U.S. Federal Maritime Commissioner Rebecca Dye said Fact Finding 29’s work will help the American ocean shipping industry better prepare the supply chain for the post-virus economic recovery.
Agriculture Transportation Coalition hears pandemic’s effect on global movement of goods
Shippers and forwarders will be cautious with how much cargo they commit to the ocean container carriers this contract season, industry experts say.
The smallest of the standardized ocean containers in the global fleet remains ideal for dense, heavy agricultural goods, forest products, and machinery shipments.
Container equipment shortage exacerbated by COVID-19 pandemic stresses upper-Midwest soybean exporter trying to fill his springtime customer orders to Asia.
FIATA questions the reasonableness of assessing demurrage and detention charges against shippers and forwarders during pandemic.
“With ongoing challenges posed by the coronavirus, there is real concern about these fees being assessed when there are equipment issues beyond the control of the shipper or motor carrier,” 67 trade associations told the Federal Maritime Commission.
Canceled vessel sailings are resulting in too many intermodal containers at the ports and limited container availability inland.
“As long as there continues to be a lack of cargo and documentation handling in the ports due to the virus, our exporters and importers shouldn’t be on the hook for per diem or demurrage charges,” AgTC Executive Director Peter Friedmann said.
The Agriculture Transportation Coalition has developed service contract guidance its members can use to set parameters for when ocean carriers should issue or withhold detention and demurrage charges.
California’s effort to restrict owner-operators in trucking would create havoc for farm and forest product exporters, says the Agriculture Transportation Coalition.
Agriculture shippers and forwarders work with CBP and Census in an effort to eliminate $5,000-$10,000 penalties for minor export data filing errors in the Automated Export System.
Farmers and other shippers in Oregon got some good news this week when the South Korea-based container carrier SM Line announced it will bring weekly container shipping service back to […]
Shippers and NVOs urge the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission to implement the interpretive rule, while ocean carriers and marine terminals say it needs further refining.
The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission does not expect easy answers to the question of how to fairly assess demurrage and detention when Customs and Border Protection holds containers.
The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission set the new comment deadline for its notice of proposed interpretive rule to address demurrage and detention practices to Oct. 31.
The AgTC asked the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission to extend the comment deadline to Oct. 31, calling the rule “the most relevant and far-reaching initiative taken by the FMC in many years.”
The U.S. container shipping industry is eager to weigh in on recommendations produced and approved by the Federal Maritime Commission that promise to bring clarity and fairness to the assessment of demurrage and detention fees.
