Two legal cases have been filed against a Port of New York and New Jersey terminal by a group of US customs brokers and forwarders after reports that it has been illegally charging thousands of dollars for Hanjin’s containers that have been affected by the court receivership, according to JOC.com.
Ed Greenberg, General and Transportation Counsel for the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America, said: “I don’t know how these demurrage charges were calculated since they only filed bankruptcy charges last week. My view is it’s not the BCO’s fault. It’s not the NVO’s fault.
“The terminals’ complaint is with Hanjin. I don’t think they have the right, I don’t think they have the legal right, to transfer their contractual obligations with Hanjin to the BCO.”
PTI previously reported that Korea was looking to send out a fleet of 20 ships in order to rescue US$14 billion of stranded cargo in a bid to limit the damage caused in the shipping industry.
However, the situation could be having a worse effect than previously feared, after it was reported that global electronics manufacturer Samsung currently has $38 million of goods stuck on Hanjin’s ships.
The latest reports suggest that Hyundai Merchant Marine is to form its own alliance in a bid to replace Hanjin, since the $90 million loan offered by Hanjin Group to the carrier will only have a short-term.
