The Federal Maritime Commission released a notice of the filing of the following agreements under the Shipping Act of 1984. Interested parties may submit comments on the agreement to the Secretary, Federal Maritime Commission, Washington, DC 20573, within 10 days.
An advanced notice of proposed rulemaking meant to update rules for Ocean Transportation Intermediaries (OTI) is expected to run in the Federal Register this week following approval by the Federal Maritime Commission on May 15, said an FMC spokeswoman. The notice will begin a 60-day comment cycle, she said. The proposal would require OTI licensees to renew licenses every two years and extend regulations to foreign-based nonvessel-operating common carriers. FMC Commissioner Rebecca Dye and Commissioner Michael Khoir voted against the proposal. Dye lodged some objections to the proposal at the meeting, calling into question the need for additional OTI regulations and new OTI bonding levels (here).
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is amending security regulations for transportation of spent nuclear fuel, it said in a final rule. The rulemaking also creates performance standards for the protection of spent fuel shipments from theft diversion or radiological sabotage, it said. The amended rules are effective Aug. 19.
The Federal Maritime Commission said the following have filed applications for a license as a Non-Vessel-Operating Common Carrier (NVO) and/or Ocean Freight Forwarder (OFF)-Ocean Transportation Intermediary (OTI) pursuant to section 19 of the Shipping Act of 1984. The FMC also gave notice of the filing of applications to amend an existing OTI license or the qualifying individual for a license. Interested persons may contact the Office of Transportation Intermediaries, Federal Maritime Commission, Washington, D.C. 20573, at 202-523-5843 or at OTI@fmc.gov.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued a proposed rule to amend regulations for packaging and transportation of radioactive material, to harmonize NRC regulations with Department of Transportation regulations and International Atomic Energy Agency standards. The rule proposes to make the regulation of quality assurance programs “more efficient” by allowing certain changes -- ones that do not alter quality assurance approval holder commitments -- to be made without prior approval from the NRC. The rule also proposes to extend the duration of quality assurance program approvals so they don't expire, and revise current quality assurance program approvals so they too would not expire. The changes would also clarify the responsibilities of general licensees, and further limit the shipping of fissile material under a general license. Comments on the information-collection sections of the proposed rule are due June 17 and can be submitted to www.regulations.gov. Comments on the remainder of the rule are due July 30. Read the proposed rule (here).
The Federal Maritime Commission scheduled a meeting at 10 a.m. May 15 at its First Floor Hearing Room in Washington, D.C. Agenda items include: (1) Staff Briefing on Agency Initial Draft FY 2014-2018 Strategic Plan. (2) Licensing, Financial Responsibility Requirements, and General Duties for Ocean Transportation Intermediaries.
The Federal Maritime Commission released a notice of the filing of the following agreements under the Shipping Act of 1984. Interested parties may submit comments on the agreement to the Secretary, Federal Maritime Commission, Washington, DC 20573, within 10 days.
Sunoco Logistics Partners and Lone Star NGL said they have signed long-term fee agreements with Shell Trading US Company to move forward with a liquefied petroleum gas export/import project. Sunoco Logistics is an affiliate of Energy Transfer Partners, while Lone Star is a joint venture between ETP and Regency Energy Partners. The Mariner South project will integrate Sunoco Logistics’ existing Nederland Marine Terminal and pipeline from Mont Belvieu, Texas to Nederland, Texas, with Lone Star’s Mont Belvieu fractionation and storage facilities, the companies said in a press release.
The Agricultural Marketing Service released the Ocean Shipping Container Availability Report (OSCAR) for the week of May 1-7. The weekly report contains data on container availability for westbound transpacific traffic at 18 intermodal locations in the U.S.1 from the eight member carriers of the Westbound Transpacific Stabilization Agreement (WTSA).2 Although the report is compiled by AMS, it covers container availability for all merchandise, not just agricultural products.
The Federal Maritime Commission’s proposal to extend exemptions for foreign-based nonvessel-operating common carriers that agree to negotiated rate agreements will boost economic efficiency and increase competition, the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America (NCBFAA) said April 29. The NVOCC rate tariffs are a “throwback, a burdensome regulatory requirement that has no redeeming public benefit,” NCBFAA said in comments submitted on the proposed rule. The proposal was issued in February (see 13022514).