This article is taken from the October 5, 2023 USDA Grain Transportation Report.
In a September 21 meeting, the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) was briefed on progress made toward completing the reforms mandated by the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022 (OSRA).
A final rule on detention and demurrage billing practices is nearly completed and ready for FMC to vote on. At the same time, FMC staff is drafting a proposed final rule on “unreasonable refusal to deal with respect to vessel space accommodations.”
Further, FMC staff has begun drafting a proposed rulemaking on all remaining topics related to “unfair or unjustly discriminatory methods.” In addition to the rulemakings, three other OSRA-related developments were reported on: first, the Transportation Research Board’s study on “best practices for chassis pools” is due to be completed by April 2024.
Also, the Office of Management and Budget is reviewing a proposed FMC process for gathering and publishing data on total export weight and volume per vessel.
Lastly, work has progressed on building a section of FMC’s website for easily submitting comments, reports of non-compliance, requests for investigations, and requests for alternative dispute resolution services