The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) now accepts online payments for fees and invoices, it said. Payment options include debit/credit cards and Automated Clearing House, it said. Some services, such as Freedom of Information Act requests, "must be paid after the request has been processed and the requester receives an FMC invoice for the actual services rendered," the agency said. "However, most Commission services can be paid without an invoice when you submit a filing, application, or request for services."
The Federal Maritime Commission released a notice of the filing of the following agreement under the Shipping Act of 1984. Interested parties may submit comments on the agreement to the Secretary, Federal Maritime Commission, Washington, DC 20573, within 10 days.
The Federal Maritime Commission voted to approve a cooperative agreement between the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma, Washington allowing the ports to exchange information and work to find synergies, said FMC Commissioner William Doyle in remarks during the Global Shippers forum. As of March 8, the ports were free to collect and share information on container terminal operations, "including information on container facility planning and development, management, and operational efficiencies," said Doyle. About 30 miles apart, the two ports are each governed by locally elected port commissioners, he said. "Our ports need to compete on an international level and keep providing good paying jobs-- I hope this agreement helps the ports of Seattle and Tacoma figure out their best options for the future," Doyle said.
Four shipping companies agreed to pay the Federal Maritime Commission a total of $350,000 in civil penalties related to the agency's investigations into violations of federal shipping laws, said the FMC in a press release. The companies, OBI Shipping, Benison Transport, Shine International, and Rickmers-Linie, settled with the FMC without admitting they violated the law or FMC regulations, said the agency. OBI, which paid $50,000, was allegedly "obtaining transportation at less than applicable rates by means of improperly accessing service contracts to which it was not a party," said the FMC. Benison and Shine, which jointly paid $110,000, were allegedly sharing service contract information, it said. Rickmers-Linie, which paid $190,000, voluntarily contacted the FMC over service contract and Shipping Act violations, said the agency.
Increased demand for cargo services is contributing to the second straight year of profitability for the airline industry, said the International Air Transport Association (IATA) on March 12 (here). Cargo demand is projected to rise by four percent in 2014, up from IATA’s earlier estimate of 2.1%. But major changes in the industry continue to challenge the air cargo business, it said. IATA hopes to confront these challenges by working to reduce transit times by up to 48 hours over the next several years, said IATA’s Global Head of Cargo Des Vertannes in remarks at the 2014 Cargo Symposium in Los Angeles on March 11.
The International Air Transport Association on March 12 announced the release of its Lithium Battery Shipping Guidelines for manufacturers, shippers, and freight forwarders. The guidelines include relevant provisions of the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations and the United Nations Manual of Tests of Criteria. They include a regulatory overview, information on classification, packing Instructions with animated packing examples, marking and labeling diagrams, documentation examples, and a sample checklist for shippers and freight forwarders, said IATA. The guidelines are being released on a CD-ROM that costs $190. For the first edition, IATA is discounting the price to $100, and further discounts are available for IATA members.
The Federal Maritime Commission released a notice of the filing of the following agreements under the Shipping Act of 1984. Interested parties may submit comments on the agreement to the Secretary, Federal Maritime Commission, Washington, DC 20573, within 10 days. FMC also posted a list of recent OTI license applicants.
President Barack Obama’s proposal to boost U.S. infrastructure with a $302 billion, four year surface transportation reauthorization would help increase U.S. competitiveness globally and foster growth in an infrastructure sector that generates more than 13 million U.S. jobs, said the American Association of Port Authorities in a Feb. 26 press release. The reauthorization would provide $10 billion multimodal freight grant program for rail, highway and port projects, permanent authorization of the Transportation Infrastructure Generating Economic Recovery and $4 billion to encourage transportation infrastructure investment, including through the Transportation Investment Financing and Innovation Act program, said AAPA. The draft tax reform legislation released on Feb. 26 by House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp, R-Mich., would also deliver $126.5 billion to the Highway Trust Fund, said AAPA.
The Federal Maritime Commission released a notice of the filing of the following agreements under the Shipping Act of 1984. Interested parties may submit comments on the agreement to the Secretary, Federal Maritime Commission, Washington, DC 20573, within 10 days.
The recent cold snap across much of the U.S. is causing delays to cargo operations, according to alerts issued by several major railroads. Extremely cold temperatures have been interfering with the operation of equipment in Canada and the Northern U.S., and safety concerns have prevented railroad workers from clearing snow and ice off tracks, they said. Chicago has been particularly affected, with intermodal operations in that region facing major delays.