Samsung Seeks at Least $186m From CMA CGM Over Cargo Fees

Samsung Electronics America is pursuing at least $186 million from CMA CGM in one of the biggest shipper claims arising from the pandemic-era container shipping crisis. The electronics company alleges the French carrier imposed substantial cargo-related fees while failing to complete prepaid inland deliveries in the United States.

The Federal Maritime Commission formally served the complaint this month. It focuses on store-door shipments handled by CMA CGM from 2020 onward.

Samsung claims the carrier repeatedly failed to transport containers from US marine and rail terminals to their agreed inland destinations. It alleges that CMA CGM then passed the resulting demurrage, detention and rail storage costs back to Samsung.

The dispute involves more than 121,000 individual charges, according to Samsung. These include over 26,000 demurrage charges and more than 94,000 detention-type fees, in addition to rail storage and other costs that Samsung says were routinely assessed.

Central to the complaint is CMA CGM’s handling of store-door cargo. Samsung said the carrier had been paid to transport these containers beyond the discharge port to an agreed inland location.

However, Samsung alleges that after some containers were discharged, CMA CGM terminated or diverted the inland portion of their journeys and converted them to container-yard, or CY, shipments. This left Samsung responsible for arranging the final stage of transportation.

One case highlighted in the filing concerns a container shipped from Busan to The Colony, Texas, through Long Beach in August 2021. Samsung alleges CMA CGM switched the shipment to merchant haulage following its arrival, requiring Samsung to arrange the inland transportation. The container ultimately accumulated $162,799 in rail storage fees.

Samsung also claims that another group of containers affected by a chassis shortage at an inland rail terminal incurred $3.75 million in charges. According to the company, CMA CGM required Samsung to pay the rail storage costs directly before releasing the containers, despite Samsung having no contractual relationship with the railroad.

The electronics company has also challenged CMA CGM’s use of cargo and credit holds. Samsung alleges that in April 2022, 40 containers in New York and New Jersey were prevented from moving because of a disputed $590,000 charge connected to a CMA CGM affiliate in Mexico.

Samsung’s current damages claim includes $148 million in allegedly unlawful demurrage, detention, rail storage and related costs. It is also seeking at least $8.1 million for inland transportation and other mitigation measures it undertook, as well as a minimum of $30 million in prejudgment interest.

Additional claims for lost revenue and employee and legal expenses have not yet been quantified, meaning the overall amount sought could increase.

Samsung said it attempted to resolve the dispute before taking the case to the FMC. The company sent CMA CGM a formal demand in July 2024, after which the two sides entered a tolling agreement. Representatives held several meetings throughout 2025 and 2026, but Samsung alleges the discussions failed to result in repayment or a wider settlement.

The complaint is the latest in a series of FMC cases brought by Samsung concerning container charges dating from the pandemic-era supply chain disruption. The company has previously pursued Wan Hai Lines over more than $1.2 million in detention, demurrage and related charges involving store-door cargo. It also has proceedings involving COSCO, HMM and OOCL.

Last year, an FMC administrative law judge awarded Samsung $3.68 million after determining that certain ZIM cargo holds and practices were unreasonable under the Shipping Act. That initial ruling remains under commission review, with the deadline for a final decision extended to October 20.

Samsung’s complaint has now been assigned to the FMC’s Office of Administrative Law Judges. CMA CGM has 25 days from the September 1 service date to respond. An initial decision is scheduled by September 1, 2027, while the FMC’s final decision is due by March 15, 2028.