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Samsung Electronics America is seeking at least $186 million from CMA CGM in a new complaint before the Federal Maritime Commission, accusing the French shipping giant of sticking it with massive container charges tied to delays that Samsung says were outside its control.
The FMC served the complaint on September 1, opening a case that dates back to the pandemic-era supply chain disruptions and CMA CGM's handling of Samsung cargo moving through U.S. ports opening a case that stretches back to the pandemic-era supply chain crunch and CMA CGM's handling of Samsung cargo moving through U.S. ports and inland supply chains.
At the heart of the dispute are "store door" shipments, where CMA CGM was responsible for moving Samsung's containers from overseas factories through U.S. ports and on to inland destinations.
Samsung says that arrangement began breaking down around 2020 as congestion, chassis shortages and trucking problems snarled supply chains. According to the complaint, CMA CGM repeatedly failed to complete inland moves while Samsung was left paying mounting demurrage, detention, rail storage and other charges.
Samsung says it ultimately paid more than 121,000 demurrage, detention and associated charges.
The complaint does not dispute that CMA CGM faced real transportation problems during the pandemic. Samsung's argument is that those problems were CMA CGM's responsibility under its store-door contracts.
When Samsung questioned the charges, CMA CGM cited chassis and trucker shortages and port and terminal congestion, according to the complaint. Samsung says those conditions were outside its control and that CMA CGM nevertheless refused to waive many of the resulting charges.
Samsung also alleges CMA CGM sometimes converted prepaid store-door shipments into "container yard," or CY, moves, effectively leaving Samsung to arrange the remaining inland transportation itself. Some of those conversions allegedly occurred after containers were already accumulating demurrage.
One container shipped from Busan, South Korea, through Long Beach to The Colony, Texas, allegedly accumulated $162,799 in rail storage after its store-door move was terminated at a rail ramp.
In another case, several containers were held at an inland rail ramp for more than two weeks because of a chassis shortage. Samsung alleges CMA CGM acknowledged the shortage but still required it to pay rail storage charges before the containers could move. Samsung puts the resulting charges in that case at nearly $3.75 million.
The complaint also accuses CMA CGM of using cargo and credit holds to pressure Samsung to pay disputed bills. In April 2022, Samsung says a hold prevented 40 containers from being removed from a New York-New Jersey terminal over a disputed $590,000 charge involving a CMA CGM affiliate.
Samsung sent CMA CGM a formal demand letter in July 2024. The companies later entered into a tolling agreement and held meetings during 2025 and 2026, but Samsung says the efforts failed to resolve the dispute.
Samsung is seeking at least $186 million in reparations, including $148 million in allegedly improper demurrage, detention, rail storage and related charges, $8.1 million in additional costs it says resulted from taking on transportation work that should have been handled by CMA CGM, and at least $30 million in prejudgment interest. The company is also seeking lost revenue and other damages that have yet to be calculated.
CMA CGM has 25 days from service to answer the complaint.
The case has been assigned to the FMC's Office of Administrative Law Judges. An initial decision is due by Sept. 1, 2027, with a final Commission decision due by March 15, 2028.
