The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) announced increased monitoring requirements for alliance carrier operations. The three global ocean carrier alliances (2M Alliance, Ocean Alliance, and The Alliance) and each of their member companies will now be required to provide enhanced pricing and capacity information. This information will help the FMC assess ocean carrier behavior and marketplace competitiveness.
The Commission’s Bureau of Trade Analysis (BTA) will use this information to gain insights into pricing of individual trade lanes by container and service type. The information will also provide more immediate information regarding capacity management decisions of ocean carriers and alliances. The BTA is continuously monitoring the carriers’ compliance with alliance agreements to determine if agreements have an anticompetitive impact on the marketplace.
The FMC announced these new requirements in early May 2022 following a year-long examination by the BTA to determine the data needed to properly analyze carrier behavior and marketplace trends. Under the new requirements, carriers participating in an alliance will need to submit pricing information about cargo they move on the major trade lanes, and both carriers and alliances will be mandated to submit comprehensive information related to capacity management.
The three ocean carrier alliances are already subject to frequent monitoring requirements and regularly provide the FMC with detailed operational data and minutes from meetings among agreement principals. They also participate in regularly scheduled meetings with Commission staff to address issues of concern.
Source Signals™ Headlines – June 2, 2022