Yesterday, IWLA sent a letter thanking Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and John Thune (R-SD) for introducing S.3580, the Ocean Shipping Reform Act (OSRA), in the U.S. Senate. If enacted, the legislation would bring much needed reform to demurrage and detention issues and crack down on the unfair business practices utilized by international ocean carriers.

OSRA would shift the burden of proof regarding the reasonableness of detention and demurrage charges from the invoiced party to the ocean carrier and require carriers to certify that charges comply with federal regulations or face penalties. These provisions are necessary to address the significant fines cargo owners and truckers often incur due to port disruption issues beyond their control.

IWLA endorsed the legislation in October of 2021. The U.S. House passed the legislation by a 364 – 60 vote in December of 2021 and again last week as an amendment to the America COMPETES Act. OSRA enjoys broad bipartisan support and an endorsement from the White House.

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