FMC Change Could Revive Older Detention and Demurrage Claims

By Alexander Whiteman (The Loadstar) –

A potentially significant change at the US Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) has gone largely under the radar, after the regulator confirmed there is no three-year statute of limitations on charge complaints relating to fees assessed on or after 16 June 2022 – leaving carriers exposed to claims that might otherwise have been time-barred.

Charge complaints – a mechanism allowing those holding an interest in affected cargoes to challenge carrier fees deemed unfair – experienced a massive post-pandemic uptick as shippers sought recompense for what they saw as unjust detention and demurrage practices.

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