Federal Maritime Commission April 8, 2021 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Federal Maritime Commission (Commission) has identified inconsistencies in the manner in which different carriers are interpreting and applying certain aspects of the Commission's rules. This Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) will facilitate a fuller understanding of these issues prior to the Commission potentially proposing regulatory changes to its tariff regulations. The Commission observes that carriers are charging widely varying fees and imposing varying minimum requirements for access to common carrier tariffs. The Commission seeks information regarding the impact of such fees and minimum requirements on public access to common carrier rules, rates, practices and charges in published tariffs and whether existing fees or requirements are unreasonable. Additionally, certain non-vessel-operating common carriers (NVOCCs) are applying what are commonly known as ``pass-through charges'' inconsistently under common carrier tariffs, and the Commission seeks to gain a broader understanding and information from industry stakeholders, including NVOCCs and vessel-operating common carriers (VOCCs).