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IN D U ST RY N EW S STEVE LEWIS Dutch mover Voerman International has announced the death of Steve Lewis on August 30. He was 56 years old. A company statement said: It is with great sadness and disbelief that we must inform you of our dear colleague, business partner and friend Steve Lewis, who yesterday suddenly passed away. FIDI Focus will run a full obituary in the next issue. FAIRNESS REVIEW WANTED The International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA) has called for a major overhaul of regulations to ensure a fair international shipping market. In a discussion paper published in July 2022, the organisation accused the worlds largest shipping lines of seeking to cut or restrict freight forwarders from their services. According to FIATA, the organisations which form part of the three global shipping alliances and dominate 80 per cent of the worldwide market and 95 per cent of East-West trade are now abusing their dominant position in the market, together with regulatory antitrust exemptions which are out of step with the current economic context, in a manner that is distorting free market competition, with detrimental impacts on the end consumer. CALL FOR ACTION ON STORAGE FEES The head of the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) has called for ocean carriers to stop the practice of forcing shippers and truckers to store containers and then charging them. In a visit to truckers and marine terminal operations at the Port of New York and New Jersey, FMC chairman Dan Maffei said the organisation was examining the issue and that carriers rather than shippers should be the ones to pick up the bill for the storage of delayed containers. 10 FF307 September-November 22 pp10-15 News.indd 10 FIDI issues panindustry call for EC action on shipping FIDI has issued a joint call with other bodies representing international and European business, for the European Commission to begin an immediate review of its competition regulations for container shipping. The organisation linked up with the International Association of Movers (IAM), International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA), International Union for Road-Rail Combined Transport (UIRR), European Tugowners Association (ETA), Global Shippers Forum, European Barge Union (EBU), European Shippers Council (ESC), FEPORT, and the European Association for Forwarding, Transport, Logistics and Customs Services (CLECAT) which together represent the owners and forwarders of cargo, port terminal operators and other parts of the supply chain dependent on container shipping. They are demanding an urgent start to the review of the European Unions Consortia Block Exemption Regulation for the container shipping industry. The regulation exempts container shipping lines from many of the EUs competition law checks and allows them to exchange commercially sensitive information to manage the number and size of ships deployed, and the frequency and timing of sailings around the world. FIDI and the IAM signed the letter on behalf of fellow industry associations OMNI, LACMA and PAIMA, in order to represent the entire international moving and relocation industry. FIDI said: European businesses and other parties in the supply chain, including FIDI Afliates, have suffered huge disruption to the movement of goods by container shipping since the regulation was last renewed in April 2020, with many sailings being cancelled or diverted to other ports, and ports being bypassed (skipped) at short notice. At the same time, shipping rates have more than quadrupled on many routes and continue to remain three to four times higher than in 2019 before the pandemic. In the joint letter, the signatories highlight the recent passing of a new Ocean Shipping Reform Act by the US Federal Maritime Commission, which addresses many of the grievances of users and services suppliers to the container shipping lines. FIDI said a review will allow all interested parties to submit evidence and arguments as to how the Commission should act to ensure the deep-sea container shipping market operates in a way that is fair and transparent to all parties in the maritime supply chain. This should include consideration of new measures and mechanisms and should allow sufcient time for these to be considered and implemented before the expiry of the current regulation in April 2024. The full statement can be found on www.difocus.org FIDI also joined other moving associations, including IAM, PAIMA and LACMA to support the calls from the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA) for a more balanced and fair maritime market system. WW W. F I D I FOC U S . OR G 06/09/2022 14:46