The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) has opened a 15-day comment period for members of the public to comment in response to a newly filed vessel sharing agreement between Ocean Network Express (ONE), Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM), and Yang Ming Marine Transportation (Yang Ming).
All three are parties to THE Alliance Agreement, which is currently in effect.
The agreement, titled the Premier Alliance Agreement, authorises the three ocean common carriers to share vessels; charter or exchange vessel space; discuss and agree on the size, number and operational characteristics of vessels operated under the agreement; and engage in other related activities.
It is available for public inspection in the Commission’s online Agreement Library.
The FMC has given its assurance that all comments submitted are confidential and exempt from public disclosure
If the Commission takes no action, the Premier Alliance Agreement will become effective on December 12.
It is reviewing the agreement to assess whether it is likely, by reducing competition, to cause an unreasonable reduction in transportation service or an unreasonable increase in transportation cost, or to substantially lessen competition in purchasing certain services.
