Ocean Shipping Services News

Two Matson Inc subsidiaries must face claims from rival container shipping company American President Lines LLC that Matson is abusing its market power over service from the United States to Guam, a federal judge ruled in an antitrust lawsuit.The ruling Friday by U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper in Washington, D.C., declined to dismiss claims against Matson Navigation Company Inc and Matson Logistics Inc brought by American President Lines last year seeking unspecified monetary damages for alleged violations of U.S. competition law.The court dismissed parent company Matson Inc as a defendant.Honolulu-based Matson, a leading U.S. carrier in the Pacific, in 2021 recorded revenue of more than $3.9 billion.

An indictment of two Norwegian shipping executives was unsealed in the U.S. District Court in Baltimore, the Department of Justice announced.Ingar Skiaker and Øyvind Ervik have been charged with participating in a long-running conspiracy to allocate certain customers and routes, rig bids, and fix prices for the sale of international ocean shipments of roll-on, roll-off cargo to and from the United States and elsewhere, including the Port of Baltimore. A federal grand jury returned the indictment in February 2018.Skiaker and Ervik…

A Final Rule published today by the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) offering deregulatory flexibilities for non-vessel-operating common carrier (NVOCC) negotiated rate arrangements (NRAs) and NVOCC service arrangements (NSAs) will go into force on August 22, 2018.The key changes to NRAs allow them to be amended at any time; allow the inclusion of non-rate economic terms; and, allow an NVOCC to provide for shipper’s acceptance of the NRA by booking a shipment. NSAs will…

Mitsui O.S.K .Lines (MOL) announced that it held a signing ceremony for a five year bauxite transport contract with Alufer Mining .The contract was signed by Toshiaki Tanaka, MOL's Head of Dry Cargo, and Bernard Pryor at MOL's offices in Tokyo. Republic of Guinea based independent mineral exploration and development company Alufer has received all required permissions from the government with regard to building the Bel Air bauxite mine and construction commenced in January 2017. The Bel Air mine is located 15km from the coast near the Cap Verga peninsula, 120km north of Guinea's capital, Conakry and has a JORC compliant resource of over 146mt of trihydrate bauxite with low reactive silica.

Seven of Chinese state departments are investigating four local shipping companies over allegations that they have levied arbitrary and excessive charges for port services following complaints from foreign trade firms, reports Reuters. The National Development and Reform Commission had so far found that some shipping companies “have too many items on document charges and unreasonable telex release charges,” the notice said. The companies are Ningbo Dagang Pilotage, a subsidiary of Ningbo Port Group, Nantong Youbang Port Services, Taizhou Dingan Ocean Shipping Services, and Dandong Dehai Ship Services, which operate at the ports of Ningbo, Nantong, Taizhou and Dandong, respectively.

An executive of Japan-based Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd. (K-Line) was sentenced to 18 months in a U.S. prison after pleading guilty to his involvement in a conspiracy to fix prices, allocate customers and rig bids of international ocean shipping services for roll-on, roll-off cargo to and from the United States and elsewhere, the Department of Justice announced. According to the one-count felony charge filed in U.S. District Court of the District of Maryland in Baltimore on Jan. 22, 2015, Toru Otoda, who was a general manager in K-Line’s car carrier division, conspired to allocate customers and routes, rig bids and fix prices for the sale of international ocean shipments of roll-on, roll-off cargo to and from the United States and elsewhere, including the Port of Baltimore.

An employee of Japan-based Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) pleaded guilty today and was sentenced to 15 months in a U.S. prison for his involvement in a conspiracy to fix prices, allocate customers and rig bids of international ocean shipping services for roll-on, roll-off cargo, such as cars and trucks, to and from the United States and elsewhere, the U.S. Department of Justice announced. According to the one-count felony charge filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland in Baltimore on Jan.

A former executive of Japan-based Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd. (K-Line) pleaded guilty Friday, February 6, and was sentenced to 14 months in a U.S. prison for his involvement in a conspiracy to fix prices, allocate customers and rig bids of international ocean shipping services for roll-on, roll-off cargo, such as cars and trucks, to and from the United States and elsewhere, the U.S. Department of Justice announced. According to the one-count felony charge filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland in Baltimore on Dec. 29, 2014, Takashi Yamaguchi, who was a general manager and executive officer in K-Line’s car carrier division…

An executive of Japan-based Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd. (K-Line) pleaded guilty Friday, January 30 and was sentenced to 18 months in a U.S. prison for his involvement in a conspiracy to fix prices, allocate customers and rig bids of international ocean shipping services for roll-on, roll-off cargo, such as cars and trucks, to and from the United States and elsewhere, the U.S. Department of Justice announced today. According to the one-count felony charge filed today in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland in Baltimore, Hiroshige Tanioka, who was at various times an assistant manager, team leader and general manager in K-Line’s car carrier division…

Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd. (K-Line), a Japanese corporation, has agreed to plead guilty and to pay a $67.7 million criminal fine for its involvement in a conspiracy to fix prices, allocate customers, and rig bids of international ocean shipping services for roll-on, roll-off cargo, such as cars and trucks, to and from the United States and elsewhere, the Department of Justice announced today. According to a one-count felony charge filed today in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland in Baltimore…

South American Company Agrees to Plead Guilty to Price Fixing on Ocean Shipping Services for Cars and Trucks. First Charges in the Department’s Antitrust Investigation Involving Ocean Shipping Services; Conspiracy Affected Global Cargo Shipments, Including at Port of Baltimore. Compañía Sud Americana de Vapores S.A. (CSAV), a Chilean corporation, has agreed to plead guilty and to pay an $8.9 million criminal fine for its involvement in a conspiracy to fix prices, allocate customers and rig bids of international ocean shipping services for roll-on…

Reuters –  Chilean shipping firm Compania Sudamericana de Vapores has agreed to plead guilty to a price-fixing conspiracy and pay an $8.9 million criminal fine to the U.S. government, the U.S. Justice Department informs. The Justice Department's anti-trust prosecutors said in a statement that the company had conspired to rig bids to push up prices of shipping cargo such as cars and trucks to and from the United States. "Today's charges are the first to be filed in the Antitrust Division's investigation into bid rigging and price fixing of ocean shipping services," said Bill Baer, assistant attorney general in charge of the Department of Justice's Antitrust Division.

Company Will Conduct Orderly Transition to Minimize Supply Chain Disruptions. Last Voyage of FSX Service from China Expected on November 2; Final Sailings to Guam on November 8 and 10. Horizon Lines, Inc. (OTCQB: HRZL), the nation's leading domestic ocean shipping company, today announced it will discontinue its Five Star Express (FSX) trans-Pacific container shipping service between the U.S. West Coast, Guam and China. Horizon is implementing an orderly transition plan, beginning October 31, 2011, and will work aggressively to mitigate any supply chain disruptions for its customers. Discontinuation of the FSX Guam and China services will have no impact on the company's domestic ocean services in Alaska, Hawaii, or Puerto Rico.

Crowley Liner Services, Inc. (Crowley) has entered into a settlement agreement with the plaintiffs in the Puerto Rican Cabotage Antitrust Litigation. Although the company specifically denied violating the antitrust laws, it agreed to the settlement given the high cost and burden of litigation, which is expected to continue for several more years. Following the announcement in April 2008 of a government investigation of pricing practices of ocean carriers operating in the Puerto Rico trade, several class action lawsuits were filed against Crowley and other domestic ocean liner carriers on behalf of those who directly purchased domestic ocean shipping services in the Puerto Rico tradelane between 2002 and 2008.

Taiwan's Evergreen Group has announced a joint venture with its present agency in South Africa, Green Africa Shipping (PTY) Ltd. (GAS) to establish a new agency, Evergreen Agency (South Africa) (PTY) LTD., also known as ESA. The new agency will have its headquarters in Johannesburg with branch offices in Cape Town and Durban and will serve as agents for global carrier Evergreen Line's South Africa ocean shipping services.  The effective date of the new company is April 1, 2009. ESA's headquarter contact information: Evergreen Agency (South Africa) (PTY) Ltd Bedfordview Office Park No. 3 Riley Road Bedfordview 2007, 2008 Gauteng Province, Johannesburg, Gauteng,2008, P.O.Box 1471 TEL: +27-11-5749034 FAX: +27-11-5749180 email: [email protected]