Atlantic Intermodal Services

FMC to gauge detention/demurrage fairness on flow merits

The top United States maritime regulatory agency on Friday unanimously approved interpretive rulemaking recommendations aimed at helping it gauge whether levied demurrage and detention fees truly incentivize the retrieval of cargo and return of containers.

The Federal Maritime Commission agreed to the recommendations stemming from a year-and-a-half effort led by commissioner Rebecca Dye to address complaints from cargo owners and drayage drivers over what they considered unfair fees for failing to pick up cargo and return equipment in a timely manner.

The recommendations reflect an agency seeking to encourage commercially driven solutions and firm up how such disputes are reviewed without plunging into a complex tangle of business agreements.

“Our approach from the beginning has been to enhance the competitiveness of the US freight delivery system,” Dye said.

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