The Federal Maritime Commission approved the proposed A. P. Moller-Maersk and MSC Mediterranean Shipping vessel sharing agreement, also known as 2M, the agency said on Oct. 9. The 2M agreement would "authorize the parties to share vessels and engage in related cooperative operating activities in the trades between the U.S. and Asia, North Europe, and the Mediterranean." The FMC "decision is based on a determination that the agreement is not likely at this time, by a reduction in competition, to produce an unreasonable increase in transportation cost or an unreasonable reduction in transportation service," it said. Commissioner Richard Lidinsky dissented.
The Federal Maritime Commission is seeking comment on its heavily revised proposed rulemaking on Ocean Transport Intermediaries (here). While the original proposal (see 13053031) was a source of concern for the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America (see 13041004), the updated version strips out a number of the controversial pieces of the rule (see 14092217). Comments are due Dec. 12.
The Federal Maritime Commission will post Ocean Transportation Intermediaries licensing information only online and not in the Federal Register as of Oct. 20, the agency said. A recently amended rule allows for the change, said the FMC. Through Oct. 17, the agency will be posting the OTI information on the new site (here) and in the Federal Register, it said. The site will include information on license applications, revocations, suspensions, surrenders, reissuances, and rescissions of revocations, the FMC said.
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is extending until Nov. 10 the period for comments on its proposed “reverse logistics” rule. The Aug. 11 proposed rule would change requirements for goods that are shipped by truck back to the vendor, distributor, manufacturer, or other entity for the purpose of returning, recalling product, or replacement (see 14080814). For shipments of hazardous materials covered by the proposed regulations, PHMSA would relax segregation requirements to allow the mixing of various hazard classes as long as the packages are not leaking, and would create a separate set of packaging standards.
The Federal Maritime Commission plans to hold a public forum focused on congestion at the South Atlantic ports, the agency said. FMC Commissioner Michael Khouri will lead the forum and report to the full Commission on the discussion, the agency said. The event is scheduled for Oct. 30 in Charleston at the Charleston Area Convention Center.
The Federal Maritime Commission posted the agenda for its Oct. 1 public forum focused on port congestion. The forum will include panel discussions on carriers, trucking and labor, among other issues, the agenda said.
A coming Federal Maritime Commission proposed rulemaking on Ocean Transport Intermediaries (OTIs) makes a number of major revisions to a previous proposal on the subject, said FMC Commissioner William Doyle at the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America Government Affairs Conference. Doyle gave a detailed preview of a coming OTI proposal, which he said is expected to come out in the near future. The NCBFAA previously said it expected the FMC to pull back on its OTI rulemaking that would have meant some major new financial and licensing requirements for OTIs (see 14071616). Among the changes to the rulemaking, the FMC will not increase the bond amounts for Non-Vessel Operating Common Carriers and forwarders and will not create new standards for OTI advertising, he said.
The Federal Maritime Commission scheduled a meeting at 10 a.m. on Sept. 25 at its First Floor Hearing Room in Washington, D.C. Agenda items include: (1) Briefing on Public Forum held September 15th at the Port of Los Angeles Concerning Causes and Implications of Congestion at U.S. Ports; (2) Briefing on Publication of Ocean Transportation Intermediary Licensing Information on Commission's website; and (3) Amendments to Regulations Governing Ocean Transportation Intermediary Licensing and Financial Responsibility Requirements, and General Duties.
A scheduled power outage at the Federal Maritime Commission's headquarters will make all public facing applications unavailable on Saturday, Sept. 6 from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., the agency said. The outage will impact all applications listed (here) "as well as access to SERVCON and the Online Agreement Library," the agency said.
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Administration issued a proposed rule on Aug. 25 to harmonize the hazardous materials (hazmat) regulations with international agreements. The proposal would implement recent changes to the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code, the International Civil Aviation Organization’s Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air, and the United Nations Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods—Model Regulations. The changes affect proper shipping names, hazard classes, packing groups, special provisions, packaging authorizations, air transport quantity limitations, and vessel stowage requirements, said the PHMSA. Comments are due Oct. 24.