FMC to Examine Export Services as Part of Ocean Carrier Audit Program
The Federal Maritime Commission is expanding its Vessel-Operating Common Carrier Audit Program to analyze how shipping lines are serving U.S. exporters, the agency said March 21. As part of the audit program, the FMC will ask ocean carriers to share information about the export services they offer and potential opportunities to “increase access to service offerings.”
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Communications Daily is required reading for senior executives at top telecom corporations, law firms, lobbying organizations, associations and government agencies (including the FCC). Join them today!
The FMC established the audit program in July to assess how carriers were complying with the agency’s rule on detention and demurrage policies (see 2107210010). The increased emphasis on export services announced this week is part of a broader effort by the FMC to “assist exporters,” the agency said, adding that it has also directed its Bureau of Enforcement and Office of Consumer Affairs and Dispute Resolution Services to prioritize cases involving exporters.
The audit's new scope will give the FMC “better visibility into which ocean carriers work well with U.S. exporters” and which carriers have room to improve, FMC Chairman Daniel Maffei said. Exporters have complained for months about carriers continuing to send empty containers back overseas rather than filling them with exports because the carriers can charge higher rates for imports (see 2104280031).
“American exporters deserve access to ocean transportation to sell to international markets every bit as much as overseas sellers get access to U.S. markets,” Maffei said. “If the shipping companies continue the cooperative attitude they have by and large shown the Audit Team to date, I am confident we can make progress on some of the issues that have frustrated exporters.”
Carriers will be required to provide the FMC with certain export information related to their U.S.-vessel calls since July. The FMC said it will specifically ask about the number of “loaded and empty containers carried on a ship’s return journey to Asia.”