In the week earlier, the Mediterranean Shipping Company (Mediterranean Shipping Co.) said that in the United States marine terminal closed days, will no longer be to the consignee container demurrage and demurrage charges.
Following Maersk, HMM made a similar commitment to stop charging demurrage fees on days when container pickup facilities were closed, and the world's largest container shipping company MSC joined a growing number of shipping companies.
MSC said it was working with the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) and U.S. regulators "on best practices and requirements for our industry. MSC will communicate any changes to customers or other stakeholders as they evolve, constantly reviewing our billing practices, taking into account changing circumstances based on feedback from customers, legal requirements and the industry as a whole.
In addition, the liner carrier OOCL stated that in the days when customers were unable to pick up or put down containers, OOCL had not charged customers demurrage and demurrage fees.
OOCL spokesman Mike Young said that OCL receives any notice that customers have no way to withdraw or return containers from OCL facilities, whether due to weather, inability to make an appointment or closure, and will reduce the charges accordingly. And further strengthen the system to rule out any known planned closure to prevent charging when the corresponding facility is closed.
The FMC rulemaking process is the driving force
FMC is evaluating such fees for consignees and their haulage representatives around the rapid development of changes in the billing of retention fees and demurrage fees. The agency has until mid-June to issue final rules on withholding and demurrage billing, a process mandated by the Maritime Transport Reform Act 2022 (OSRA-22) passed last June.
The head of America's largest marine terminal operator (MTO), Ports America, also said that if the terminal is closed for a holiday or weekend and the allowed idle time has ended, shippers should not be charged demurrage fees.
Forwardernet.com