The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission has widened an investigation into the operations of container shipping lines as part of global supply chains. The FMC is looking specifically at whether the liners’ charges, return policy and availability of containers are damaging U.S. exporters from the ports of LA / Long Beach and Newark / New York. The move echoes those already made by the governments of China and South Korea and could lead to mandated business practice changes. One issue is the apparent preference by liners to rapidly move empty containers back to their origin rather tha...