U.S. House of Representatives Passes Ocean Shipping Reform Bill

On December 8, by a partisan vote of 364 to 60, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2021 (OSRA). Supported by ASTA, the legislation aims to stop ocean carrier companies from refusing to load U.S. agricultural and other goods for exports to Asia and around the globe. This bill includes provisions to gain reasonable and fair ocean carrier practices consistent with the Federal Maritime Commission’s (FMC) Interpretive Rule on Demurrage and Detention. It provides the FMC with better tools to enforce ocean shipping law and regulations. The White House has given credit to the bill – described as the first major update in federal regulations for the global ocean shipping industry in over 20 years – as a step toward long-term reform that will improve our nation’s competitiveness on a global scale. The bill now head to the Senate.