Shipping Solution or Snag?

In case you missed it, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bill to improve oversight of ocean shipping, a step supporters say will help ease export backlogs.

The Ocean Shipping Reform Act, led by Senators John Thune and Amy Klobuchar, is meant to strengthen the investigatory authority of the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC), the U.S. agency that oversees ocean shipping, and boost transparency of industry practices.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the legislation "will reduce costs for the American people, by reforming unfair shipping practices hurting exports and consumers alike."

Here's what the legislation is meant to accomplish:

1. Prohibit ocean carriers from unreasonably declining opportunities for U.S. exports that would be determined by the FMC, which would write new rules.
2. Require ocean common carriers to report to the FMC each calendar quarter "on total import/export tonnage" making port in the United States.
3. Allow FMC to begin investigations of ocean common carrier’s business practices and apply enforcement measures.

Some senators commented they wanted to make it harder for ocean carriers to unreasonably refuse goods that are ready to export at U.S. ports.

Similar legislation passed the U.S. House 364-60 in December but lawmakers must resolve differences before it can go to President Joe Biden.

On March 15, the White House unveiled a pilot information sharing effort to help clear supply chain bottlenecks at congested U.S. ports.

The National Retail Federation said imports at major U.S. retail container ports are expected to be at near-record levels this spring and summer as consumer demand and supply chain challenges continue to spark congestion.

Tell me if you think this legislation will help?