Source: https://fmc2.fmc.gov/resources-services/vessel-operating-common-carriers/
Timestamp: 2019-10-20 19:45:14
Document Index: 444769550

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 535', 'art 535', 'art 535', '§ 535', '§ 535', '§ 535', '§ 535', '§ 520', '§ 520']

Vessel-Operating Common Carriers - Federal Maritime Commission - Federal Maritime Commission
Home » Resources & Services » Vessel-Operating Common Carriers
Vessel-Operating Common Carriers (VOCCs) or ocean common carrier:
Holds itself out to the general public to provide transportation by water of passengers or cargo between the United States and a foreign country for compensation
Assumes responsibility for the transportation from the port or point of receipt to the port or point of destination
Uses, for all or part of that transportation, a vessel operating between a port in the United States and a port in a foreign country
VOCC Agreements Required to be Filed with the FMC
Agreements among ocean common carriers must be filed with the FMC (46 CFR § 535.103) if they involve ocean transportation in the foreign commerce of the United States, and authorize the parties to engage in any of the following activities:
Pool or apportion traffic, revenues, earnings, or losses
Allot ports, restrict or regulate the number and character of sailings between ports
Limit or regulate the volume or character of cargo to be carried
Engage in exclusive, preferential, or cooperative working arrangements among themselves or with one or more marine terminal operators
Control, regulate, or prevent competition in international ocean transportation
Discuss and agree on any matter related to service contracts
The FMC conducts a preliminary review of all agreements to determine if the agreement is in compliance with the Shipping Act, and ongoing monitoring of activities once an agreement becomes effective.
How to File an Ocean Common Carrier Agreement
Agreements may be hand-delivered during normal Commission business hours, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, or mailed to: Secretary, Federal Maritime Commission, Room 1046, 800 North Capitol Street, NW, Washington, DC 20573
Per the Commission’s rules, agreement filings are required (46 CFR Part 535 Subpart D) to consist of the following:
A true, original-signed copy and seven additional copies of the executed agreement
A letter of transmittal identifying all documents transmitted
An Information Form, if required by the Commission’s Information Form Requirements (46 CFR Part 535 Subpart E)
The appropriate agreement Filing Fee
Upon the showing of good cause, the Commission may waive certain agreement filing requirements (46 CFR § 535.407) or Information Form filing requirements (46 CFR § 535.504)
On-going Reporting Requirements
For as long as an agreement remains in effect, quarterly monitoring reports (46 CFR § 535.702) must be filed by parties to ocean carrier agreements that authorize discussion or agreement on the following activities:
where the agreement parties hold a combined market share of 35 percent or more and the agreement authorizes certain activities
the Commission may require that parties to an agreement with market share below the 35 percent threshold, submit monitoring reports
in addition to or instead of the normal monitoring report, the Commission may require alternative periodic reporting requirements for parties to an agreement
Minutes of Meetings Required to be Filed for VOCC Agreements
For as long as an agreement remains in effect, parties to carrier agreements that authorize discussion or agreement on the following activities must file minutes of agreement meetings (46 CFR § 535.704):
rates or charges in tariffs or service contracts
pooling or apportionment of cargo traffic
discussion of revenues, losses or earnings
any service contract matter, including voluntary service contract guidelines
Quarterly monitoring reports and minutes of meetings should be sent to: Director, Bureau of Trade Analysis, Room 940, 800 North Capitol Street, NW, Washington, DC 20573, or may be file by direct electronic transmission.
Publication of Tariffs
When publishing VOCC Tariffs:
All ocean common carriers and carrier conferences are required to publish a tariff (46 CFR § 520.3). Tariffs must be open for public inspection and show all rates, charges, classifications, rules, and practices between all points or ports on their service routes.
The VOCC must notify the Commission prior to commencement of operations (46 CFR § 520.3) using Form FMC-1, and once reviewed, the VOCC will be assigned an organization number
Any change to the above information must be immediately updated using Form FMC-1
The Commission publishes a list of all carrier tariffs and a list of conference tariffs
Service Contracts and Essential Terms
An individual ocean common carrier or an agreement between or among ocean common carriers may enter into a service contract with one or more shippers.
Phone: 202-523-5793
Service Contracts and Tariffs
Phone: 202-523-5856
Fax: 202-523-4372
E-mail: tradeanalysis@fmc.gov