Temporary Exemption from Certain Service Contract Requirements

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 [Docket No. 20-06] Order Granting Extension of Exemption Under 46 CFR 530.8(a)(1) carriers must file original service contracts (as opposed to an amendment) with the Commission “before any cargo moves pursuant to that service contract.” In addition, § 530.8(b) requires that each original contract include, among other terms, an effective date that is no earlier than the filing date. See §§ 530.3(i) (defining “effective date” for original service contracts and amendments); 530.8(b)(8)(i) (requiring every service contract to include its effective date). Similarly, § 530.14(a) provides that “[p]erformance under an original ( printed page 63275) service contract may not begin before the day it is effective and filed with the Commission.”  [ 1 ] On April 27, 2020, the Federal Maritime Commission published an Order to temporarily allow parties to file service contracts up to 30 days after they take effect. The Order made the relief effective immediately and lasting through December 31, 2020. The Commission noted in its Order that it might consider extending this exemption, as necessary, to address the continuing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the interest of providing certainty and stability to supply chain stakeholders, the Commission believes it is necessary to extend this exemption until June 1, 2021. The temporary exemption was designed to help relieve coronaviru…