Bill aims to elevate shippers’ FMC awareness

Florida congressman’s proposed legislation designed to boost understanding of the consumer protection services available.    Rep. Bill Posey, R-Fla., has proposed legislation that aims to enhance “public awareness and understanding of ocean shipping services agreements, use of ocean transportation intermediaries and other shipping services” through the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission’s Office of Consumer Affairs and Dispute Resolution Services (CADRS).
   “It’s important to keep commerce moving through our ports and for businesses and consumers to better understand how shipping services work and where they can go to quickly resolve problems they may encounter,” Posey said in a statement to American Shipper about the proposed bill (H.R. 6303). 
   Posey, who represents Port Canaveral as part of his district, is also co-founder and co-chairman of the Florida Ports Caucus.    
   CADRS routinely offers the shipping industry presentations and training on the use of negotiation and alternative dispute resolution to resolve commercial ocean shipping disputes. Examples include when a shipper is unable to locate its cargo, experiences a defaulting non-vessel-operating common carrier, or a freight forwarder’s inability to collect rightful compensation from a carrier.
  The FMC office also offers “rapid response teams” to address more immediate concerns, such as how to deal with canceled bookings, rolled cargo, unavailable container equipment and cargo stopped in transit.