{"id":5279,"date":"2020-12-08T14:43:44","date_gmt":"2020-12-08T18:43:44","guid":{"rendered":"\/?p=5279"},"modified":"2020-12-08T14:51:21","modified_gmt":"2020-12-08T18:51:21","slug":"fmc-chairman-addresses-export-container-availability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/fmc-chairman-addresses-export-container-availability\/","title":{"rendered":"FMC Chairman Addresses Export Container Availability"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Federal Maritime Commission Chairman Michael A. Khouri told an international audience that he takes seriously reports that ocean carriers are not supplying containers to U.S. agricultural exporters at inland locations and the Commission is examining all potential actions it can take in response as a regulatory agency.<\/p>\n<p>Chairman Khouri made his\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fmc.gov\/chairman-michael-a-khouris-remarks-for-the-global-maritime-conference\/\">remarks today at the Global Maritime Conference<\/a>, which was held virtually this year.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSome ocean carriers \u2013 not all – have stated that they will no longer deploy \u2013 that is – reposition empty containers to the U.S. interior agricultural areas. Instead, they are expediting empties back to Asia. This abandonment of a significant U.S. export industry \u2013 the American agricultural industry \u2013 is shutting them out of global markets. We are looking into all potential \u2013 I repeat \u2013 all potential responsive actions, including a review of whether such ocean carriers\u2019 actions are in full compliance with the Shipping Act and more specifically the various \u201cProhibited Acts\u201d sections of the Act,\u201d said Chairman Khouri.<\/p>\n<p>On November 20, 2020, the Commission approved a\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fmc.gov\/fact-finding-29\/\">Supplemental Order to Fact Finding 29<\/a>, that directs Fact Finding Officer Rebecca Dye, to investigate the detention and demurrage, container return and container availability for U.S. export cargoes practices of ocean carriers operating in alliances and calling the Port of Los Angeles, the Port of Long Beach, or the Port of New York and New Jersey.\u00a0 The Commission authorized Fact Finding 29, \u201cInternational Ocean Transportation Supply Chain Engagement,\u201d on March 31, 2020.<\/p>\n<p>The availability of containers for the U.S. export trade is not the only area where the FMC is focusing its attention on the behavior of carriers.\u00a0 Chairman Khouri shared with the audience that in October the agency issued a <a href=\"https:\/\/www2.fmc.gov\/readingroom\/proceeding\/20-16\/\">Notice of Inquiry<\/a>\u00a0about carrier practices of how the term \u201cmerchant\u201d is defined in service contracts.\u00a0 The Commission has heard from numerous stakeholders that shipping lines are using an expansive definition that holds companies responsible for ancillary transportation charges that they did not contract for and may not legally be required to pay.\u00a0 The Commission\u2019s Bureau of Enforcement is conducting an investigation.<\/p>\n<p>Also among the topics covered during his presentation, Chairman Khouri spoke about how carrier and marine terminal operator agreements are monitored by the Commission to ensure competition and integrity for America\u2019s ocean supply chain.\u00a0 The Chairman shared that the three global ocean carrier alliances receive the highest and most demanding degree of scrutiny given their potential to cause or facilitate adverse market effects.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Commission continually monitors the marketplace and adjusts the reporting requirements for alliances and their members as circumstances dictate.\u00a0 Our monitoring efforts are an ongoing and constant endeavor but are adjusted as circumstances require.\u00a0 Last month, pursuant to my direction, the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fmc.gov\/federal-maritime-commission-increases-global-alliances-information-monitoring-report-requirements\/\">Federal Maritime Commission issued letters to the carrier alliances<\/a>\u00a0advising them of amended, more frequent, reporting requirements.\u00a0 This information, reported more often and in a more timely manner, will be invaluable to the Commission in its efforts to protect the marketplace,\u201d said Chairman Khouri.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond highlighting the Commission\u2019s attention to export containers and continued monitoring of ocean carriers, Chairman Khouri highlighted the background of the FMC, a regulatory relief initiative that will allow ocean carriers to file service contracts up to 30 days after they come into effect, and priorities for the coming year.<\/p>\n<p><em>Michael A. Khouri is a Commissioner with the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission. The thoughts and comments expressed here are his own and do not represent the position of the Commission.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Federal Maritime Commission Chairman Michael A. Khouri told an international audience that he takes seriously reports that ocean carriers are not supplying containers to U.S. agricultural exporters at inland locations and the Commission is examining all potential actions it can take in response as a regulatory agency. Chairman Khouri made... <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"\/fmc-chairman-addresses-export-container-availability\/\">Read More »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[8],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fmc.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5279"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fmc.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fmc.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fmc.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fmc.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5279"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.fmc.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5279\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5283,"href":"https:\/\/www.fmc.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5279\/revisions\/5283"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fmc.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5279"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fmc.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5279"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fmc.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5279"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}