Congress to Conference OSRA Legislation

The U.S. Senate voted unanimously to pass S.3580, a modified version of the House-passed H.R.4996, the Ocean Shipping Reform Act (OSRA). The OSRA bills will now move to conference where conferees appointed by the House and Senate will meet to settle the differences between the two bills and, upon final congressional approval, send the legislation to President Biden.

The OSRA would bring significant reform to demurrage and detention issues and modernize the Shipping Act to help address 21st century challenges. Cargo owners and trucks continue to rack up fees in the form of detention and demurrages charges at U.S. ports, often for congestion issues beyond their control.

IWLA endorsed the OSRA in October of 2021 and has advocated for its passage in Congress. President Biden endorsed the legislation late last year and is expected to sign the OSRA into law.

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