(Washington, DC) – In its role as the Voice of the Recycling Industry™, the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) today requested the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) address its investigation into ocean carriers’ detention and demurrage practices, as well as the shortage of ocean shipping containers with its members.
“ISRI appreciates the work of Commissioner Dye in her initial fact-finding investigation into detention and demurrage practices,” said ReMA Vice President of Advocacy Adina Renee Adler. “We look forward to providing her with more information through comments submitted by ReMA members detailing their experiences with container shortages.”
Commissioner Rebecca Dye issued demand orders to ocean carriers and terminal operators to determine legal obligations to detention and demurrage practices for the New York, New Jersey, Los Angeles, and Long Beach ports. The demand orders specifically call out information requests concerning these ports and terminal operators to provide information on their container returns and container availability policies and practices for exporters. The FMC is collecting information for possible enforcement actions against these parties to determine whether they may have violated the FMC’s “Interpretive Rule on Detention and Demurrage” and would violate provisions of the Federal Shipping Act of 1984 that prohibits ocean carriers from providing “just and reasonable” practices related to receiving, handling, storing or delivering property.
The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc. (ISRI) is the "Voice of the Recycling Industry™." ReMA represents 1,300 companies in 20 chapters in the U.S. and more than 40 countries that process, broker, and consume scrap commodities, including metals, paper, plastics, glass, rubber, electronics, and textiles. With headquarters in Washington, DC, the Institute provides education, advocacy, safety and compliance training, and promotes public awareness of the vital role recycling plays in the U.S. economy, global trade, the environment and sustainable development. Generating nearly $110 billion annually in U.S. economic activity, the scrap recycling industry provides more than 500,000 Americans with good jobs.