marine terminal operators

FMC proposes tighter container billing standards

Container trucking at Port of Houston.

Ocean carriers and marine terminals would be subject to stricter — and potentially costlier — billing requirements when they charge shippers for late containers under a proposal by the Federal Maritime Commission.

The FMC’s 58-page proposed rule on demurrage and detention billing requirements, scheduled to be posted in the Federal Register next week, “seeks to bring more clarity, structure, and punctuality” to the billing practices of vessel operating common carriers (VOCCs),...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/fmc-proposes-tighter-container-billing-standards

Freight companies begin sharing capacity data with feds

Containers stacked at marine terminal.

Carriers, shippers and logistics companies have started sharing critical freight capacity information with the federal government in the first data exchange aimed at untangling congested supply chains.

The U.S. Department of Transportation announced the development Wednesday before hosting a meeting of participants in its Freight Logistics Optimization Works (FLOW) program.

If successful, DOT’s initiative would be seen as a significant step toward overcoming long-standing concerns associated with...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/freight-companies-begin-sharing-capacity-data-with-feds

FMC to consider regulating ocean carrier billing practices

The Federal Maritime Commission is considering regulating how ocean carriers bill their customers for late fees related to picking up and dropping off containers.

An Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) approved by the agency on Friday sets out the details of the proposal setting standards for demurrage and detention billing and seeks public comment to help shape it.

Carriers charge demurrage when full containers have not been picked up by their customers — taking up valuable terminal...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/fmc-to-consider-regulating-ocean-carrier-billing-practices

Mega port operator PSA to buy US freight forwarder BDP

Aerial view of a a vessel tied up to wharf with big cranes while a special ship transports big ship cranes down the middle of a waterway.

PSA International, a global port operator owned by the Singaporean government, said Wednesday it has agreed to acquire Philadelphia-based freight management company BDP International, building on the trend of asset-based transportation providers expanding to offer customers an end-to-end logistics services.

PSA is the largest container terminal operator in the world based on throughput. Last year it handled 86.8 million twenty-foot equivalent units.

BDP, which is owned by New York-based private...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/mega-port-operator-psa-to-buy-us-freight-forwarder-bdp

SoCal ports could fine carriers for tardy containers by Nov. 15

Aerial view of containers stacked at a port.

Port authorities in Los Angeles and Long Beach plan to start assessing and collecting late fees on loaded import containers that remain on the docks for extended periods as soon as Nov. 15. The information was disclosed in agendas for emergency meetings of the respective harbor commissions on Friday.

The boards will vote on plans submitted by port staff to charge ocean carriers $100 per day, increasing in $100 increments per container per day, for containers scheduled to move locally by truck...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/socal-ports-could-fine-carriers-for-tardy-containers-by-nov-15

When lifting empty containers, two is better than one

Hyster Co.

Hyster Co. (NYSE: HY) has introduced equipment that allows marine terminal and intermodal rail yard operators to handle and stack two empty ocean containers at once.

The Hyster H180-230XD-ECD can lift up to 23,000 pounds, which is more than sufficient to handle two empty 40-foot refrigerated containers at once.

The material-handling equipment manufacturer, which developed the technology at its Big Truck Development Center in Greenville, North Carolina, believes the timing is right to introduce...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/when-lifting-empty-containers-two-is-better-than-one

FMC identifies San Pedro Bay container challenges during COVID-19

The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) on Wednesday identified four key areas where the container shipping industry in the San Pedro Bay port complex of Southern California can overcome current supply chain disruptions.

In late March, the FMC tasked Commissioner Rebecca Dye to lead a handful of industry representative-based “innovation teams,” with the goal of developing regional guidance to improve the transport and logistics flow of container traffic during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/fmc-identifies-san-pedro-bay-container-challenges-during-covid-19

Ports see ‘longer battle’ ahead before volumes turn corner

U.S. ports have revised their initial outlook in March forecasting a quick “V-shaped” recovery in freight volumes and instead do not anticipate a turnaround this year.

That was the message relayed to lawmakers on Capitol Hill via the first-ever public teleconference hearing held by the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee on Friday.

“At this stage in the pandemic, the hope for a quick recovery has been replaced by the realization of a longer battle ahead,” testified Association of...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news

FMC’s Dye keeps eye on COVID-19-challenged US supply chains

The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) official in charge of monitoring the current U.S. supply chain impacts related to the COVID-19 pandemic said she has brought together myriad industry stakeholders to find immediate remedies to these problems and prepare for the reopening of the economy.

“We need to be ready in our seaports for the increased cargo that we know is coming soon,” FMC Commissioner Rebecca Dye told attendees of the virtual annual Agriculture Transportation Coalition...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/fmcs-dye-keeps-eye-on-covid-19-challenged-us-supply-chains

FMC urges Congress to aid distressed US box terminals

Steep reductions in containership sailings over the next several months due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic have many U.S. marine terminal operators wondering how they are going to afford their annual lease payments to port authorities.

The country’s nearly 100 large and small container terminals are on some of the priciest industrial property. According to industry experts, terminal operators in the Port of New York and New Jersey annually spend about $90,000 per acre as port authority...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/fmc-urges-congress-to-aid-distressed-us-box-terminals