Port Wars....coming to a Maritime port near you!

Eliminating congestion at U.S. ports and getting back to business as usual is the #1 priority for the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission in 2015. In 2014 FMC was but a mere observer on the sidelines, watching a slow-motion train wreck unfold across the nations ports as contract talks dragged on and containers piled up. The agency has bold plans for 2015 as it is tasked with cleaning up the train wreck, and getting the nations ports running smoothly again.

One of the goals for 2015 is to bring back the efficiency of ocean transportation; the FMC wants’ everyone throughout the supply chain from the factory to the consumer to feel that U.S. Maritime ports are reliable, this congestion and bickering between the ILWU & PMA gives U.S. ports & shipping industry a bad reputation.

It is the agencies responsibility to maintain a safe & reliable ocean transportation environment. Maritime ports are the life-blood of the U.S. economy and it is clearly within the agencies scope of responsibilities to ensure cargo can move through ports un-impeded.

  

Idle cranes at the port of L.A. cannot unload more vessels until space is made for more containers.

Last year the FMC held several meetings and hearings to discuss and gather information regarding the port congestion. The ultimate goal of these hearings and meetings was to figure out a way to prevent the intermittent port congestion that flares up in the ports of LAX-LB / NY-NJ. The FMC has said they will announce

Some of the problems that the FMC is looking to tackle this year include overtime pay, and unpaid waiting time for drayage drives who at times wait for hours outside the terminal for their chance to load containers. The FMC is also examining how to respond to (A) the PSA reducing the amount of night gangs to unload vessels which causes congestion and (B) ILWU in turn reduce the amount of crane operators who can load the containers onto trucks.

The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission has promised they will be taking a closer look at congestion surcharges in 2015, as they have been bombarded with complaints that the surcharges are un-justified, and illegal.

The FMC said they will severely punish any carrier that imposes surcharges that are no clear and based on specific criteria, and that carriers cannot raise rates on cargo that has already been tendered.

“Any Carriers caught imposing extreme un-warranted surcharges will feel the full force of American Justice. Carriers will not just be subject to fines, they could also lose their right to operate in America.”

The FMC has a website in the works that will be a clearing house for tracking surcharges, this will allow the public to see which carriers are imposing surcharges, how much the surcharges are, when the surcharges come into effect and how long they will last.

“The FMC will continue its role in protecting the shipping public and addressing unreasonable or unjust practices by carriers or marine terminal operators.”

Questions / Comments? Contact: Mark@cmaritime.com.cn