The National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America sent a letter to the Federal Maritime Commission last week requesting guidance on Ocean Shipping Reform Act regulations. In an Aug. 15 email to members, NCBFAA said it asked the FMC for more “clarity” on OSRA provisions that restrict common carriers from invoicing parties for detention and demurrage unless the invoice includes certain required information. The group also asked the commission about the fee dispute process; made “inquiries with respect to the treatment of ocean carrier vendors, such as railroads and chassis pools”; and asked about new, prohibited conduct for common carriers. NCBFAA asked FMC to explain “to what extent do these new prohibitions and requirements, especially for invoicing, apply to marine terminal operators, customs brokers, freight forwarders, breakbulk agents, and other entities assessing and invoicing” fees.
The Federal Maritime Commission announced a new landing page on its website dedicated to the commission’s activities related to the Ocean Shipping Reform Act. The page will provide links to OSRA-related rulemakings, industry advisories and news. “Establishing a resource where the public can easily and quickly see all relevant materials related to OSRA implementation is critical to keeping all interested constituencies informed of progress the Commission is making in meeting the mandates established by the Congress and the President,” FMC Chairman Daniel Maffei said.
The Federal Maritime Commission will officially begin requesting public comments Aug. 8 on a new carrier data collection plan mandated by the Ocean Shipping Reform Act (see 2208030016). The FMC will collect new information from carriers on the total import and export tonnage and the total loaded and empty 20-foot equivalent units (TEU) per vessel. Comments are due Oct. 7.
The Federal Maritime Commission reorganized its enforcement divisions by consolidating them into a new agency: the Bureau of Enforcement, Investigations and Compliance. Created last week, it will be led by an attorney with regulatory, prosecutorial and investigatory experience. FMC Managing Director Lucille Marvin will be acting director until a permanent director is hired.
A new strategic partnership between the DHS Center for Countering Human Trafficking and international non-governmental organization Liberty Shared will help in the fight against forced labor, DHS said in a news release. "The partnership with Liberty Shared, formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding signed this week, will enable CCHT to further streamline intelligence, initiate new criminal investigations, and advance ongoing investigations to hold corporations and individual perpetrators accountable," DHS said.
The U.S. should enter into a free trade agreement with the government of Taiwan "by the end of next year," former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said during a July 26 Atlantic Council webinar. The former secretary, now on the board of the think tank, went on to say that not only should the U.S. pursue an agreement with Taiwan, but that America should persuade its European allies to do the same, regardless of pushback from China.
The National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America is seeking feedback from its members on the recently implemented Ocean Shipping Reform Act. In a July 25 email to members, the group asked for questions, experiences and concerns with OSRA, including how “your operations are being impacted” by the new measures. Members should send their input to mmontgomery@ncbfaa.org. OSRA was signed into law in June (see 2206160064) and already has resulted in a new Federal Maritime Commision complaint submission process for certain carrier charges (see 2207150031).
Correction: David Craven represents Global Aluminum, an importer that, alongside Kingtom Aluminio, CBP also found to have evaded antidumping and countervailing duties in an Enforce and Protect Act case prior to reversing its decision during a Court of International Trade case (see 2207140021).
The Agriculture Transportation Coalition praised a recent Federal Maritime Commission industry advisory that outlined its new complaint submission process (see 2207140045), calling it a “landmark moment in the history” of the FMC.
The Federal Maritime Commission this week issued guidance to parties looking to dispute carrier charges that may not be complying with the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022. The guidance outlines the steps for submitting a complaint with the FMC.