The Supply Chain Innovation Team Initiative begins May 3 at the Federal Maritime Commission’s Washington, D.C. headquarters and will bring together U.S. importers and exporters, port officials, marine terminal operators, drayage truckers, ocean transportation intermediaries, ocean carriers, chassis providers and railroads.
The FMC is currently seeking comments on a proposed rule to force container lines to provide more data on how vessel-sharing agreements would impact port efficiency and supply chain costs after complaints that mega-ships and the mixing of cargo among lines in ship holds are placing undue stress on shippers and ports nationwide.
These efforts follow the release of an 88-page report on congestion compiled from listening sessions in Baltimore, Charleston, Long Beach and New Orleans that identified chassis availability, drayage, and the ability of terminals to handle mega-ships as the most responsible for port congestion and shipper cost increases.
