AP Moller-Maersk’s US arm has been subpoenaed by the Department of Justice as the federal government keeps up the pressure on liner operators.
The company told TradeWinds that the Danish shipowning giant’s subsidiary, Maersk Inc, had received the order from the US government.
“We can confirm that we have received a subpoena from the US Dept of Justice with respect to their ongoing investigation into supply chain disruption,” said Maersk North America spokesman Tom Boyd.
“We have not seen evidence of any actual or alleged wrongdoing on the part of Maersk and will continue to cooperate with the US Dept of Justice as they continue their investigation.”
The Department of Justice did not return a request for comment.
The US government, primarily through the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC), has been taking a harder look at shipping since last summer following an executive order from President Joe Biden.
Then, amid massive port congestion driving up consumer prices, Biden directed the FMC to look at detention and demurrage charges.
The commission took further steps beyond the order, promptly signing a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Justice’s antitrust division to look at liner operators.
Maersk had already been pulled into an FMC audit investigating those charges and how well the top nine liner operators comply with US laws regarding them.
On Monday, the FMC expanded the audit to include how the companies service US exporters.
Maersk had previously been drawn into a Department of Justice investigation into price-fixing in the container shipping industry in 2017 as the European Union and South Africa launched their own probes.
The investigation lasted nearly two years before the US backed off without imposing charges or imposing penalties.
The 2017 subpoenas were issued during a meeting of the International Council of Containership Operators, or the Box Club, in San Francisco.
The Box Club was disbanded last year following Biden’s executive order.
