NITL Applauds House Passage of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2021 (HR 4996)
Washington, DC, December 8, 2021. The National Industrial Transportation League (NITL), the nation’s oldest trade association representing industrial freight transportation shippers, applauds the overwhelming support shown in passage of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2021 (OSRA21) by the US house of Representatives. The final vote this evening was 364 voting yea and only 60 voting in opposition.
The League was instrumental in the efforts leading up to the 1998 amendments to the Shipping Act and looks forward to working with the Congress, the FMC, and all industry stakeholders to address the critical challenges faced by importers and exporters and others by updating this important federal law.
“The overwhelming, bi-partisan support shown for modernizing the Shipping Act of 1984 is an important step toward addressing systemic issues contributing to congestion at U.S. seaports and unprecedented disruption to the ocean shipping network” said Nancy O’Liddy, NITL’s Executive Director. “The ongoing ocean shipping turmoil has wreaked havoc on US exporters and importers, costing them billions in higher shipping costs, demurrage and detention charges, and lost business.”
“The inability of US companies to timely access marine containers and chassis and secure sufficient vessel bookings to meet their business requirements has upended the ocean cargo shipping and delivery network. These unprecedented challenges exposed gaps in the law governing ocean carrier services that are addressed by OSRA21. We are very grateful to Representatives Garamendi and Johnson (the bill’s original sponsors) and their staff’s for advancing this important legislation.” – NITL Ocean Transportation Committee Chair Lori Fellmer.
“OSRA21 addresses many of the problems faced by the shipping community and seeks to address gaps in the current law. While the League strongly commends the regulatory efforts in recent years initiated by the FMC, we believe the agency and shipping industry will benefit greatly from these reforms that are targeted to address the challenges of 2021,” said Fellmer.
NITL has been working with members of the US Senate on companion legislation and will now turn its full focus on encouraging them to take similar action, as soon as possible, to bring relief to US importers, exporters, and consumers affected by the broken ocean shipping supply chain.
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About NITL:
The National Industrial Transportation League (NITL) is a trade association whose mission is to advance the views of shippers on industrial freight transportation issues and advance their professional development. NITL membership is comprised of companies engaged in the rail, maritime, and highway industrial freight transportation sectors who are committed to the competitive, efficient, and safe movement of goods across the United States and beyond.
