Quotidiano indipendente di economia e politica dei trasporti
18:51 GMT+1
F.M.C. RULES ON MILITARY CARGO SHIPMENTS
Under US law, military cargoes must be shipped aboard US registry vessels
16 dicembre 1996
The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission ruled on 10 Dec. that the U.S. Department of Defense cannot ship commercial military cargo via foreign-registry lines on U.S.-registry ships. The ruling affects three lines, but the decision was viewed as a precedent. The U.S. Military Sealift Command has tried since 1988 to solicit bids from foreign lines that charter space on U.S.-registry ships, with the intent that competition may lower rates. Under U.S. law, military cargoes must be shipped aboard U.S.-registry vessels, but the department argued that since the cargoes were aboard U.S. ships, foreign lines who charter space on them should be able to compete for business. The 10 Dec. ruling involved Sea-Land Service Inc., which has space-sharing agreements with P.& O. Containers Ltd. and Nedlloyd Lines B.V. In June 1995, F.M.C. administrative law judge Frederick Dolan Jr. ruled that restrictions in space-sharing agreements violate the Shipping Act of 1984, which forbids carriers from allocating shippers in space-sharing arangements and prohibits a line from soliciting cargo from a specific shipper except under applicable laws of countries. A lawsuit filed by Sea-Land is pending in a federal appeals court. The F.M.C. agreed that the charter agreements amounted to allocating shippers, but said that in this case a different law required that restriction.
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Direttore responsabile Bruno Bellio Vietata la riproduzione, anche parziale, senza l'esplicito consenso dell'editore
The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission ruled on 10 Dec. that the U.S. Department of Defense cannot ship commercial military cargo via foreign-registry lines on U.S.-registry ships. The ruling affects three lines, but the decision was viewed as a precedent. The U.S. Military Sealift Command has tried since 1988 to solicit bids from foreign lines that charter space on U.S.-registry ships, with the intent that competition may lower rates. Under U.S. law, military cargoes must be shipped aboard U.S.-registry vessels, but the department argued that since the cargoes were aboard U.S. ships, foreign lines who charter space on them should be able to compete for business. The 10 Dec. ruling involved Sea-Land Service Inc., which has space-sharing agreements with P.& O. Containers Ltd. and Nedlloyd Lines B.V. In June 1995, F.M.C. administrative law judge Frederick Dolan Jr. ruled that restrictions in space-sharing agreements violate the Shipping Act of 1984, which forbids carriers from allocating shippers in space-sharing arangements and prohibits a line from soliciting cargo from a specific shipper except under applicable laws of countries. A lawsuit filed by Sea-Land is pending in a federal appeals court. The F.M.C. agreed that the charter agreements amounted to allocating shippers, but said that in this case a different law required that restriction.
- Via Raffaele Paolucci 17r/19r - 16129 Genova - ITALIA
