On July 8, the Ministry of Transport,China issued a “Notice on Penalizing 2 International Container Liner Shipping Companies and 10 International Non-Vessel Operating Common Carriers (NVOCCs).”
The notice stated that in July and October 2024, the Ministry of Transport conducted inspections at ports in Dalian, Tianjin, and Xiamen to assess compliance with freight rate filing requirements by international container liner shipping companies and NVOCCs. The inspections revealed that 2 international container liner shipping companies and 10 NVOCCs (listed in the appendix) had violated regulations by either failing to file freight rates or implementing rates inconsistent with their filings. In accordance with Article 37 of the “Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on International Maritime Transport,” the Ministry imposed administrative penalties on these companies and held discussions with those found to have committed serious violations.
To further strengthen oversight of the international container liner shipping and NVOCC markets and enhance public supervision, the Ministry is publicly disclosing the penalized companies. All international container liner shipping companies and NVOCCs are urged to take this as a warning, improve their internal freight rate filing systems, assign clear responsibilities, and strictly comply with filing obligations and implemented rates.
Moving forward, the Ministry of Transport and provincial transport authorities authorized by the Ministry will intensify inspections of freight rate filing compliance and impose penalties on violators in accordance with the law.
