US Congress’ latest shipping bill “deeply flawed,” WSC CEO claims

The World Shipping Council (WSC) has noted that the US Senate has now introduced its own bill, the Ocean Shipping Reform Act, to amend the Shipping Act.

In a statement, WSC President and CEO John Butler said the “deeply flawed bill” passed by the US Lower House at the end of 2021 would place government officials in the role of second-guessing commercially negotiated service contracts and dictating how carriers operate ship networks. The approach would make the existing congestion worse across US ports wherein ships cannot access to discharge and load cargo because of landside logistics breakdowns.

“Further regulating ocean carriers will not solve the deeper challenges in US supply chains,” added Mr Butler.

The WSC said it looks forward to an opportunity to work with the Senate to craft a final bill that, in contrast to the Lower House bill, will take a “comprehensive, forward-looking view” of the real root causes of supply chain congestion and prevent that congestion from worsening.

The council added that it will continue to work with Congress to identify solutions that will further strengthen the ocean transportation system that has supported the US economy throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.