The United States government announced today that it has joined a lawsuit alleging that Inchcape Shipping Services Holdings Limited, a UK-based marine services provider, violated the False Claims Act by knowingly overbilling the U.S. Navy for ship husbanding services from years 2005 to 2014.
As a ship husbanding services provider, Inchcape arranged for the provision of goods and services to Navy ships at ports in several regions throughout the world, including southwest Asia, Africa, Panama, North America, South America and Mexico.
Inchcape’s services typically included the provision of food and other subsistence items, arrangement of local transportation, waste removal, telephone services, ship-to-shore transportation and force protection services.
The lawsuit, which was unsealed today, alleges that Inchcape knowingly overbilled the Navy by submitting invoices that overstated the quantity of goods and services provided, billed at rates in excess of applicable contract rates and double-billed for certain goods and services.
The U.S. Navy announced in November 2013 a decision to suspend Inchcape Services from Federal Government contracting. The Navy based this decision “ upon evidence of conduct indicating questionable business integrity”.
Image: Inchcape