Crowley, Sea Star ask court to O.K. settlement

Crowley, Sea Star ask court to O.K. settlement    Crowley Maritime and Sea Star told a U.S. District Court they want to move forward with a settlement with shippers that used their Puerto Rico container liner services between 2002-2008 and claimed they were overcharged.
   In separate motions filed last week, the two carriers said they would move forward with a class action settlement agreement first laid out last fall.
   The shippers had said they were injured by paying more for moving freight between the mainland and Puerto Rico because liner companies and some executives “violated federal antitrust laws by entering into a combination, conspiracy or agreement to fix, maintain, raise, or stabilize the prices.”
   Under the agreement, Crowley will contribute $13.75 million into a settlement fund and Sea Star $18.5 million. Horizon Lines has until Friday to decide whether to move forward with the agreement, under which it would contribute $20 million to the fund.
   Shippers had the option to settle by agreeing to be paid out of the fund or to have their freight rates frozen for two years. They also could opt out of the settlement and pursuing litigation individually.
   Crowley and Sea Star said sufficient numbers of shippers had decided to opt out of the settlement process that they could have terminated the agreement, but had decided to proceed with the settlement and waive their option to terminate.