Amendments to Regulations Governing Service Contracts and NVOCC Service Arrangements

Document Headings Document headings vary by document type but may contain the following: the agency or agencies that issued and signed a document the number of the CFR title and the number of each part the document amends, proposes to amend, or is directly related to the agency docket number / agency internal file number the RIN which identifies each regulatory action listed in the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions See the Document Drafting Handbook for more details. Federal Maritime Commission 46 CFR Parts 530 and 531 [Docket No. 16-05] RIN 3072-AC53 AGENCY: Federal Maritime Commission. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC or Commission) amends its rules governing Service Contracts and NVOCC Service Arrangements. The rule is intended to update and modernize the Commission's regulations and reduce the regulatory burden. DATES: Effective Date: May 5, 2017. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For technical questions, contact: Florence A. Carr, Director, Bureau of Trade Analysis, Federal Maritime Commission, 800 North Capitol Street NW., Washington, DC 20573-0001. Phone: (202) 523-5796. Email: TradeAnalysis@fmc.gov . For legal questions, contact: Tyler J. Wood, General Counsel, Federal Maritime Commission, 800 North Capitol Street NW., Washington, DC 20573-0001. Phone: (202) 523-5740. Email: GeneralCounsel@fmc.gov . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Background In 1984, Congress passed the Shipping Act of 1984 (the Shipping Act or the Act), 46 U.S.C. 40101 et seq., which introduced the concept of carriage under service contracts filed with the Federal Maritime Commission. The pricing of liner services via negotiated contracts, rather than exclusively by public tariffs, was a change that had profound effects on the liner industry. FMC regulations require all ocean freight rates, surcharges, and accessorial charges in liner trades be published in ocean common carrier tariffs or agreed to in service contracts filed with the…