U.S. Rep. John Garamendi

Bill aims to strip foreign shipowners’ liability protections

WASHINGTON — New legislation in the U.S. House would prevent the owners of the Singapore-flagged container ship that crashed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge from evading liability costs related to the accident.

The Justice for Victims of Foreign Vessel Accidents Act, introduced Tuesday by Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., and Hank Johnson, D-Ga., seeks to increase maritime liability limits for foreign shipowners to up to 10 times the dollar value of the vessel and its cargo, versus the...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/bill-aims-to-strip-foreign-shipowners-liability-protections

Ports call out ‘sensationalized’ targeting of foreign container cranes

WASHINGTON — Legislation that could shut down a port’s container operations for an alleged security risk is misleading and misguided, according to the American Association of Port Authorities.

The Port Crane Security and Inspection Act of 2023, introduced Wednesday by U.S. Reps. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., and John Garamendi, D-Calif., would require federal authorities to inspect cranes and the software used to operate them if they were manufactured in countries considered adversaries of the U.S. —...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/ports-call-out-sensationalized-targeting-of-foreign-container-cranes

Proyecto de ley para eliminar las “lagunas” de la Ley Jones 

Una nueva propuesta de ley en el Congreso dificultaría el trabajo de los buques extranjeros y sus tripulaciones en el sector energético de alta mar estadounidense. 

El proyecto de ley, Close Agency Loopholes to the Jones Act, fue presentado el miércoles por el congresista demócrata John Garamendi. Pretende poner fin a 50 años de las llamadas “cartas de resolución” emitidas por el Servicio de Aduanas y Protección de Fronteras de EE.UU., que funcionan en la práctica como exenciones a corto plazo...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/proyecto-de-ley-para-eliminar-las-lagunas-de-la-ley-jones

Bill aims to close Jones Act ‘loopholes’

Newly proposed legislation in Congress would make it tougher for foreign vessels and their crews to work in the U.S. offshore energy sector.

The bill, Close Agency Loopholes to the Jones Act, was introduced on Wednesday by U.S. Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif. It attempts to terminate 50 years of so-called “letter rulings” issued by U.S. Customs and Border Protection that effectively function as short-term Jones Act waivers for foreign shipowners.

Garamendi argues that CBP has not properly used its...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/bill-aims-to-close-jones-act-loopholes

Lawmaker introduces bill to guarantee more US-flag shipping

U.S. flag on ship entering New York

A bipartisan bill aimed at invigorating U.S.-flag shipping for international government cargo was introduced Friday by Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif.

The Rebuilding the United States-Flag International Fleet Act, co-sponsored by Rep. Bob Gibbs, R-Ohio, would restore a requirement that at least 75% of gross seaborne tonnage for international food aid programs be carried on US-flagged vessels.

The requirement, in place from 1985 to 2012, was repealed by the current law that lowered the minimum...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/lawmaker-introduces-bill-to-guarantee-more-us-flag-shipping

Lawmakers want to favor carriers that prioritize US exports

Container crane loading at Port of Oakland

Container lines would receive unprecedented loading and unloading status at U.S. ports if new legislation aimed at prioritizing American exports were to become law.

The American Port Access Privileges Act, introduced Wednesday by U.S. Congressmen John Garamendi and Jim Costa, both California Democrats, would put American exporters “at the front of the line at our ports” in supporting the economy, according to the lawmakers.

The lawmakers hope to take advantage of the momentum generated through...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/lawmakers-want-to-favor-carriers-that-prioritize-us-exports

House passes bill expanding powers of maritime regulators

By a vote of 364 to 60, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2021 (OSRA) on Wednesday. The bipartisan legislation moves to the U.S. Senate, where lawmakers are preparing a companion bill they say will be introduced soon.

Spearheaded by Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., and Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., the bill gives the Federal Maritime Commission the power to impose minimum requirements on ocean carrier service contracts, and shifts the burden of proof...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/house-passes-bill-expanding-powers-of-maritime-regulators

Exporters ratchet pressure on Biden to take on shipping challenges

A historic peak shipping season with significant container ship backlogs is being used by a coalition of U.S. agricultural exporters to promote regulatory changes attempting to rein in alleged abuses by container carriers.

In a letter sent to the White House on Monday, 76 groups representing various agricultural export commodities warned that steps taken so far by the Biden administration to address the problem are not enough. They claim that operational tactics that carriers continue to employ...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/exporters-ratchet-pressure-on-biden-to-take-on-shipping-challenges

Ocean carriers: Shipping reform act ‘doomed to fail’

Container carrier representatives in Washington are pushing back hard against legislation introduced Tuesday aimed at addressing yearlong complaints against carriers by their customers alleging service failures and unfair pricing they say would have disastrous consequences for container markets.

The Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2021, spearheaded by Reps. John Garamendi, D-Calif., and Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., imposes minimum requirements on ocean carrier service contracts and shifts the burden of...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/ocean-carriers-shipping-reform-act-doomed-to-fail

Vessel group rejects allegations of threats against US exporters

U.S. exporters should not fear payback from container lines if they complain to the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) about excessive cargo fees or canceled contracts, according to the carriers’ representative in Washington.

“I categorically reject the idea that shippers are being threatened with retaliation for bringing complaints — I don’t buy that,” John Butler, president and CEO of the World Shipping Council, which represents most of the world’s container ship fleet, told lawmakers.

Testifying...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/vessel-group-rejects-allegations-of-threats-against-us-exporters

+ More