In June 2022, the US Congress passed the Ocean Shipping Reform Act (OSRA-22). This legislation prohibited ocean carriers from “unreasonably” refusing export cargo as well as “unreasonably” assessing demurrage and detention charges. It also gave the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) the authority to develop and enforce rules surrounding the assessment of these charges.
Last month, the US Congress updated the law to get tough on China by protecting data and banning the software on ship-to-shore cranes manufactured in China and installed at US ports. It also more clearly defined what a “controlled carrier” is as well as created an avenue to file a complaint with the FMC regarding market manipulation by foreign rate indexes or shipping exchanges.