Understanding the Federal Maritime Commission

What is the Federal Maritime Commission?

The United States Federal maritime Commission is an independent federal agency responsible for the regulation of oceanborne transportation in the foreign commerce industries of the United States of America. The mission of the Federal Maritime Commission is to regulate certain activities of international shipping lines, known as ocean common carriers, marine terminals operators and ocean transportation intermediaries who operate within the foreign commerce industries.

Furthermore, the Federal Maritime commission is responsible for overseeing the financial responsibility of cruise ship lines and other passenger ship operators, to ensure they have adequate resources to pay compensation in the even of non-performance or injuries to those on board.

In addition to the aforementioned responsibilities, the Federal Maritime Commission is required to monitor the laws and practices of foreign governments which could pose an adverse impact on the United States’ shipping industry and maritime trade. The Federal Maritime Commission will institute bilateral trade sanctions to help persuade foreign governments to remove adverse conditions or barriers to entry.

That being said, perhaps the most important duty of the Federal Maritime Commission revolves around the issuance of license. The independent government agency is the premiere authority in regards to regulating and licensing ocean transportation intermediaries in the United States. The Federal Maritime Commission must ensure that all intermediaries, including freight forwarders and non-vessel operating common carriers are properly licensed and regulated to conduct business in U.S. waters.

Federal Maritime Commission Quick Facts

The following details outline the administration of the Federal Maritime Commission:
The Federal Maritime Commission was founded in 1957
The headquarters of the Federal Maritime Commission are located in Washington, D.C.
The Federal Maritime Commission is responsible for the jurisdiction over the Federal Government of the United States
The head of the Federal Maritime Commission is Dan Schultz

What is an Independent Government Agency?

An independent agency of the United States Federal Government is a department or organization that exists outside of the federal executive departments or those headed by a Cabinet secretary. In a more specific sense, the term Independent Government Agency, is used to describe agencies that, while constitutionally operating within the executive branch, are free from presidential authority or control, as a result of the President’s limited membership within the agency.

Independent government agencies are established through separate statutes passed by the United States Congress; each respective statutory grant of authority will define the goals or mission that the agency must work towards, in addition to the substantive areas, if applicable, over which the Independent Agency may have the power of rulemaking. These agency regulations, when enforced, maintain the power of federal law.

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