Ship Agent Licensure Act of 2022

Ship Agent Licensure Act of 2022

This bill revises provisions related to ocean shipping policies.

Specifically, the bill

• sets forth a definition for the term ship agent to include a person who is engaged in the business of representing a ship's owner, operator, or charterer in performing carriage while in a port of the United States; responsible for certain services such as crew changes and repatriations; and not owned or controlled by a common carrier or cruise line;
• prohibits a person in the United States from advertising, holding out, or acting as a ship agent or providing ship agent services in the United States unless the person is domiciled in the United States and holds a license issued by the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC);
• prohibits a person from advertising, holding out, or acting as a ship agent unless the person furnishes a bond, proof of insurance, or other surety in a form and amount determined by the FMC to insure financial responsibility; and
• requires the FMC to suspend or revoke a ship agent license if it finds that the ship agent is not qualified to provide ship agency services or willfully failed to comply with provisions in the bill or with an order or regulation of the FMC.