APL Ltd., an ocean carrier company that contracts with the military, recently agreed to pay a $9.8million settlement, the latest in a number of False Claims Act cases involving logistics contracts between the military and shipping lines.
APL Ltd. allegedly charged the Department of Defense for tracking shipping containers destined for U.S. military bases in Afghanistan despite knowing that its tracking devices did not work or were missing.
In 2009, APL Ltd. paid $26.3 million to settle allegations under the False Claims Act that it had overcharged for transporting cargo to Iraq and Afghanistan, while Maersk Line settled similar allegations for $31.9 million in 2012.\
Another major shipping company, Matson Navigation Co., paid nearly $10 million in 2014 to settle False Claims Act allegations that it had charged improper fuel surcharges on military shipments.