U.S. Federal Maritime Commission

FMC’s Dye keeps eye on COVID-19-challenged US supply chains

The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) official in charge of monitoring the current U.S. supply chain impacts related to the COVID-19 pandemic said she has brought together myriad industry stakeholders to find immediate remedies to these problems and prepare for the reopening of the economy.

“We need to be ready in our seaports for the increased cargo that we know is coming soon,” FMC Commissioner Rebecca Dye told attendees of the virtual annual Agriculture Transportation Coalition...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/fmcs-dye-keeps-eye-on-covid-19-challenged-us-supply-chains

FMC investigates Canada’s proposed ballast water rules for Great Lakes

The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) said it will investigate whether Canada’s proposed ballast water regulations discriminate against U.S.-flag vessels operating in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway.

All five FMC commissioners — Chairman Michael Kouri, Rebecca Dye, Louis Sola, Danial Maffei and Carl Bentzel — on Wednesday voted to approve the petition from the Lake Carriers’ Association (LCA), which asked the agency to carry out the investigation.

Under Section 19(1)(b) of the 1920...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/fmc-investigates-canadas-proposed-ballast-water-rules-for-great-lakes

Puerto Rico terminal joint venture stays the course

The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) said an amendment to a joint venture agreement between two marine terminals at the Port of San Juan in Puerto Rico will become effective today.

The FMC did not stand in the way of the formation in late August 2019 of the 50/50 joint venture between Luis Ayala Colon and Puerto Rico Terminals to form Puerto Nuevo Terminals (PNT), a affiliate of TOTE Maritime, despite competition concerns by some commission members.

However, the maritime regulator said it...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/puerto-rico-terminal-joint-venture-stays-the-course

Drayage truckers ramp up chassis-rate dispute with ocean carriers

U.S. trucking companies claiming that foreign ocean carriers have been manipulating the intermodal chassis-leasing market at the truck carriers’ expense are ready to take their dispute to federal regulators.

In a May 4 letter to the Ocean Carrier Equipment Management Association (OCEMA), whose members represent 80% of the U.S. container market, the Intermodal Motor Carriers Conference (IMCC) warned that they will be filing a formal complaint with the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) unless...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/drayage-truckers-ramp-up-chassis-rate-dispute-with-ocean-carriers

FMC urges Congress to aid distressed US box terminals

Steep reductions in containership sailings over the next several months due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic have many U.S. marine terminal operators wondering how they are going to afford their annual lease payments to port authorities.

The country’s nearly 100 large and small container terminals are on some of the priciest industrial property. According to industry experts, terminal operators in the Port of New York and New Jersey annually spend about $90,000 per acre as port authority...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/fmc-urges-congress-to-aid-distressed-us-box-terminals

Navigating service contract negotiations during COVID-19

This is no ordinary year for American shippers and freight forwarders that are attempting to finalize their annual ocean service contracts with the container carriers.

The uncertainty of how much cargo will be available from the shippers and the amount of capacity offered by the carriers for the next contract season, which generally starts in May, remains anyone’s guess in the face of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

“The biggest obstacle we face in service contract negotiations this year is the...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/navigating-service-contract-negotiations-during-covid-19

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