Mega fine for Danish shipping giant Maersk. The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) has formalised a settlement agreement involving $1.9 million in civil penalties against the Copenhagen-based company.
The settlement marks the end of an investigation into alleged breaches of the Shipping Act by the carrier, accused of charging third parties for demurrage costs that weren’t due.
The US maritime authority disputed Maersk’s application of charges and penalties (detention charges) to operators who had never signed or accepted the terms of the group’s service contracts, bills of lading or tariffs.
In addition to paying the multi-million-euro fine, the shipping giant has undertaken to rectify the disputed billing practices, to review its tariff rules—restricting the definition of ‘merchant’ exclusively to shippers, consignees and parties with a genuine interest in the cargo—and to reimburse third parties who were unfairly charged with the additional costs.
Maersk has agreed to pay the fine to settle the dispute. However, it has not admitted to any formal breach of the Shipping Act or federal regulations.
The FMC has also clarified that the multi-million-dollar sum will not remain in the authority’s coffers: the entire amount will be paid directly into the US General Fund.
Translation by Giles Foster