US MARITIME Commissioner Richard Lidinsky has questioned the way the staff of the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) has handled an application by CMA CGM, China Shipping and United Arab Shipping Co to establish their Ocean Three vessel-sharing alliance.
Mr Lidinsky has called for a full internal investigation into the matter and staff may be questioned about their behaviour.
His criticism of the authorisation process comes after Mr Lidinsky discovered that the Ocean Three alliance may not have to go through the 45-day review process that its rival 2M alliance of Maersk and MSC had to endure.
The Ocean Three lines filed their agreement with the FMC on October 6 and hope to receive fast track approval as their market share in the US trades is less than 30 per cent, reported Lloyd's List.
Mr Lidinsky believes the Ocean Three (O3) alliance has already been given the green light, although the shipping lines themselves are still awaiting official confirmation from the FMC that the agreement has been authorised.
"I find two aspects of the Ocean Three agreement approval by this commission troubling," said Mr Lidinsky.
"First, although the O3 had every legal right to file and seek the short-cut effectiveness route, I think it would have been more beneficial for them - and certainly for the American people - in the long run if they had not invoked the short-cut clause.
"It would have subjected them to the same detailed questioning that all other alliances members - competitors - have been through during their 45-day review period."
"Second, since I was not informed of this matter until 10 days after the agreement was filed and made effective two days before we voted on 2M.
I intend to ask the chairman for a full internal investigation of how this agreement was handled by staff and to present results at a future FMC public meeting."
WORLD SHIPPING
23 October 2014 - 19:23
FMC mulls internal probe into its own Ocean Three processing
US MARITIME Commissioner Richard Lidinsky has questioned the way the staff of the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) has handled an application by CMA CGM, China Shipping and United Arab Shipping Co to establish their Ocean Three vessel-sharing alliance.
WORLD SHIPPING
23 October 2014 - 19:23
FMC mulls internal probe into its own Ocean Three processing
This news 5938 hits received.
These news may also interest you