If your company moves ocean freight in the U.S. foreign trades, the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) has rules that apply to you, wherever your business is based. Enforcement has intensified in recent years, penalties are significant, and many operators have never formally reviewed their exposure. To help companies establish where they stand, Trade Tech is now offering a complimentary 30-minute FMC compliance consultation.
1. FMC compliance applies beyond the United States
Many logistics operators outside the United States assume that FMC regulations do not apply to them. In practice, any company involved in ocean freight moving in the U.S. foreign trades may fall within scope, regardless of where the business is based. Freight forwarders, NVOCCs, and other ocean transportation intermediaries serving U.S. trades carry obligations that many operators have never formally reviewed.
2. Enforcement has changed since OSRA 2022
The regulations themselves are not new. What has changed is enforcement. The Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022 transformed the FMC into a proactive enforcement body, and fines are becoming both more frequent and higher in value.
A standard violation can result in a maximum penalty of US$14,988 per day. A knowing and willful violation can result in a maximum penalty of US$74,943 per day.
For operators handling regular U.S. ocean freight volumes, exposure at that level accumulates quickly. The challenge for most companies is not deliberate non-compliance. It is uncertainty about whether their agreements, processes, and operating practices fully align with current FMC requirements.
3. A complimentary FMC compliance consultation
To help operators establish where they stand, Trade Tech is offering a complimentary 30-minute FMC compliance consultation. The session provides an independent view of your current position, with no sales pitch and no obligation.
Trade Tech’s FMC Compliance Team is led by FMC-certified expert Tom Lloyd, who has worked in ocean freight compliance for decades. The team knows where the risk sits and where operators typically find themselves exposed.
“The operators most at risk are usually the ones who have never had a reason to look. Agreements get rolled over, practices get inherited, and nobody checks them against what the FMC now expects. Thirty minutes is normally enough to see whether a closer review is needed,” said Tom Lloyd, FMC Compliance Team Lead at Trade Tech. [Draft quote, for Tom Lloyd approval before publication]
FMC compliance is also built into the Syrinx Trade Rates solution, where selling rates to and from the USA are filed automatically and the quote acts as the tariff filing. [Internal link: Syrinx Trade Rates page]
4. How to book your session
To book your complimentary 30-minute FMC compliance consultation, email ttsales@tradetech.net or get in touch through our contact page. Our cargofiling.com website also has information at https://cargofiling.com/service/fmc-filing/
If you move ocean freight in the U.S. foreign trades and are not certain your operation is fully compliant, an independent review is the simplest first step.
