[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 61 (Wednesday, March 30, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18368-18370]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-06621]


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FEDERAL MARITIME COMMISSION


Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB 
Review; Comment Request

AGENCY: Federal Maritime Commission.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Maritime Commission (Commission) is giving public 
notice that the agency has submitted to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for approval the continuing information collections 
(extensions with no changes) described in this notice. The public is 
invited to comment on the proposed information collections pursuant to 
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted at the addresses below on or 
before April 29, 2022.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be addressed to: Office of Information and 
Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, Attention: Shannon 
Joyce, Desk Officer for Federal Maritime Commission, 
[email protected], and to: Lucille L. Marvin, Managing 
Director, Office of the Managing Director, Federal Maritime Commission, 
[email protected].
    Please send separate comments for each specific information 
collection listed below, and reference the information collection's 
title and OMB number in your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Copies of the submission(s) may be 
obtained by contacting Lucille Marvin at [email protected] or 202-523-5800.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Request for Comments

    Pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13), 
the Commission invites the general public and other Federal agencies to 
comment on proposed information collections. On December 7, 2021, the 
Commission published a notice and request for comments in the Federal 
Register (85 FR 69254) regarding the agency's request for continued 
approval from OMB for information collections as required by the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. During the 60-day period, a clerical 
error was discovered in the reporting for ICR 3072-0071. A correction 
was published in the Federal Register on February 9, 2022, and the 
Commission extended the comment period for both ICR 3072-0071 and ICR 
3072-0070 for an additional 30 days (87 FR 7453). The Commission 
received no comments on any of the requests for extensions of OMB 
clearance. The Commission has submitted the described information 
collections to OMB for approval.
    In response to this notice, comments and suggestions should address 
one or more of the following points: (1) The necessity and utility of 
the proposed information collection for the proper performance of the 
agency's functions; (2) the accuracy of the estimated burden; (3) ways 
to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be 
collected; and (4) the use of automated collection techniques or other 
forms of information technology to minimize the information collection 
burden.

Information Collections Open for Comment

    Title: 46 CFR part 531--NVOCC Service Arrangements.
    OMB Approval Number: 3072-0070 (Expires April 30, 2022).
    Abstract: Section 16 of the Shipping Act of 1984, 46 U.S.C. 40103, 
authorizes the Commission to exempt by rule ``any class of agreements 
between persons subject to this part or any specified activity of those 
persons from any requirement of this part if the Commission finds that 
the exemption will not result in substantial reduction in competition 
or be detrimental to commerce. The Commission may attach conditions to 
an exemption and may, by order, revoke an exemption.'' 46 CFR part 531 
allows non-vessel-operating common carriers (NVOCCs) and shippers' 
associations with NVOCC members to act as shipper parties in NVOCC 
Service Arrangements (NSAs), and to be exempt from certain tariff 
publication requirements of the Shipping Act provided the carriage in 
question is done pursuant to an NSA filed with the Commission and the 
essential terms are published in the NVOCC's tariff. Current Actions: 
There are no changes to this information collection, and it is being 
submitted for extension purposes only.
    Type of Review: Extension.
    Needs and Uses: The Commission uses filed NSAs and associated data 
for monitoring and investigatory purposes and, in its proceedings, to 
adjudicate related issues raised by private parties.
    Frequency: The filing of NSAs is not assigned a specific time by 
the Commission; NSAs are filed as they may be entered into by private 
parties. When parties enter into an NSA, it must be filed with the 
Commission.
    Type of Respondents: Parties that enter into NSAs are NVOCCs and 
shippers' associations with NVOCC members.
    Number of Annual Respondents: The Commission estimates an annual 
respondent universe of 325. The Commission expects the estimated number 
of annual respondents to remain at 325 in the future.
    Estimated Time per Response: The time per response is estimated to 
be 15 minutes to add a tariff rule invoking the NSA exemption, and 1 
hour for recordkeeping requirements.
    Total Annual Burden: For the 325 respondents, the burden is 
calculated as 325 x .25 hour = 81.25 hours, rounded to 81 and 325 x 1 = 
325. Total annual burden is estimated to be 406 hours.
    Title: 46 CFR part 532--NVOCC Negotiate Rate Arrangements.
    OMB Approval Number: 3072-0071 (Expires April 30, 2022).
    Abstract: Section 16 of the Shipping Act of 1984, 46 U.S.C. 40103, 
authorizes the Commission to exempt by order or regulation ``any class 
of agreements between persons subject to this [Act] or any specified 
activity of those persons from any requirement of this [Act] if the 
Commission finds that the exemption will not result in substantial 
reduction in competition or be detrimental to commerce.'' The 
Commission may attach conditions to any exemption and may, by order, 
revoke an exemption. In 46 CFR part 532, the Commission exempted non-
vessel-operating common carriers (NVOCCs) from the tariff rate 
publication requirements of Part 520, and allowed an NVOCC to enter 
into an NVOCC Negotiated Rate Arrangement (NRA) in lieu of publishing 
its tariff rate(s), provided the NVOCC posts a prominent notice in its 
rules tariff invoking the NRA exemption and provides electronic access 
to its rules tariff to the public free of charge. This information 
collection corresponds to the rules tariff prominent notice and the 
requirement to make its tariff publicly available free of charge.
    Current Actions: There are no changes to this information 
collection, and it is being submitted for extension purposes only.
    Type of Review: Extension.
    Needs and Uses: The Commission uses the information filed by an 
NVOCC in its rules tariff to determine whether the NVOCC has invoked 
the exemption for a particular shipment or shipments. The Commission 
has used and will continue to use the information required to be 
maintained by NVOCCs for monitoring and investigatory purposes, and, in 
its proceedings, to adjudicate related issues raised by private 
parties.
    Frequency: NVOCCs that opt to enter into an NRA in lieu of 
publishing tariff rate(s) must post a one-time notice in its rules 
tariff invoking the NRA exemption. NVOCCs that opt to use NRAs 
exclusively must publish an NRA rules tariff.
    Type of Respondents: NVOCCs.
    Number of Annual Respondents: 194. An average of 2,129 NVOCCs 
annually have invoked the NRA exemption thus far. The Commission 
estimates the annual number of NVOCCs that will

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invoke the exemption to be 194 in the future.
    Estimated Time per Response: 15 minutes for those adding a tariff 
rule to use a combination of tariff rates and NRAs, and 1 hour for 
recordkeeping requirements. For those using NRAs exclusively, one hour 
to publish an NRA rules tariff.
    Total Annual Burden: Of the 194 new NVOCCs estimated to file a rule 
or prominent notice in their respective tariffs, we estimate that 3% 
(6) will use NRAs exclusively. The burden is calculated as follows: 188 
x .25 hours = 47 hours and 6 x 1 hour = 6 hours (3% using NRAs 
exclusively). Recording keeping requirements for the total number of 
NVOCCs that have invoked the exemption thus far is 2,349 x 1 hour = 
2,349. Total annual burden is estimated to be 2,402 hours.

William Cody,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2022-06621 Filed 3-29-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6730-02-P