[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 236 (Friday, December 9, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75629-75630]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-26804]


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FEDERAL MARITIME COMMISSION


Agency Information Collection Activities: 30-Day Public Comment 
Request

AGENCY: Federal Maritime Commission.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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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 a new data collection concerning 
containerized vessel imports and exports to and from the United States 
described in this notice. The public is invited to comment on the 
proposed information collection pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act 
of 1995.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before January 9, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be addressed to: Office of Information and 
Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, Attention: Rita 
Young, 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 information collections 
and instructions, or copies of any comments received, may be obtained 
by contacting Tara Nielsen at 202-523-5800 or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Request for Comments

    The Commission, as part of its continuing effort to reduce 
paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other 
Federal agencies to comment on the continuing information collections 
listed in this notice, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). On August 8, 2022, the Commission 
published a notice and request for comments in the Federal Register (87 
FR 48182) regarding collection of information on Container Vessel 
Imports and Exports. The Commission received six comments from the 
Maritime Exchange for the Delaware River and Bay, World Shipping 
Council, American Cotton Shippers Association, BassTech International, 
National Industrial Transportation League, and National Fisheries 
Institute. The American Cotton Shippers Association, National Fisheries 
Institute, BassTech, and National Industrial Transportation League 
supported the data collection. Both the American Cotton Shippers 
Association and the National Industrial Transportation League 
identified benefits to the shipping public from this data collection 
due to increased transparency and insight. BassTech International 
recommended that information collected should include equipment type 
and port. This information is included in the current data collection 
template.
    The Maritime Exchange for the Delaware River and Bay opposed the 
data collection as redundant with existing Customs and Border 
Protection (CBP) collections, though they noted that the CBP automated 
collection of export data is still in a pilot program. The World 
Shipping Council likewise opposed the data collection noting the CBP 
data collection, and also suggested supplementing data gaps with 
information from the Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Transportation 
Statistics, and commercial sources. They further contended that the PRA 
requires the FMC to utilize data being provided to other Federal 
agencies.
    The Commission acknowledges that the CBP has a rich source of data 
on U.S. imports and intends to use CBP data to validate the import data 
that it collects. Additionally, the Commission notes that the 
commercial sources of data referenced by the World Shipping Council are 
largely derived from government data and will be helpful in verifying 
the accuracy of the data submitted to the Commission. None of these 
data sources (government or commercial) even if used in concert, 
provide the level and scope of information required to meet the 
Congressional requirements under the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022 
(OSRA 2022). The Commission, however, intends to minimize the data 
reporting burden as much as possible by using definitions and 
terminology in its data collection that align with other Federal agency 
data collections. This will allow carriers to use and leverage their 
existing systems to generate the reports for items that have overlap.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be included or 
summarized in our request for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
approval of the relevant information collection. All comments are part 
of the public record and subject to disclosure. Please do not include 
any confidential or inappropriate material in your comments. We invite 
comments on the value of collecting information on cargo loaded and 
off-loaded outside of the U.S. on service strings that include U.S. 
port calls.

Information Collections Open for Comment

    Title: Container vessel imports and exports.
    OMB Approval Number: 3072-XXXX.
    Abstract: The Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022 (OSRA 2022) 
includes the following language, ``The Federal Maritime Commission 
shall publish on its website a calendar quarterly report that describes 
the total import and export tonnage and the total loaded and empty 20-
foot equivalent units per vessel (making port in the United States, 
including any territory or possession of the United States) operated by 
each ocean common carrier covered under this chapter. Ocean common 
carriers under this chapter shall provide to the Commission all 
necessary information, as determined by the Commission, for completion 
of this report.'' 46 U.S.C. 41110. The FMC will request information on 
containerized imports and exports from each identified common carrier 
on a monthly basis. The data elements will include both tonnage and 
empty and laden 20-foot, 40-foot, and 45-foot containers discharged and 
loaded. The scope will include each port of call on service strings 
that include U.S. calls by vessel-operating common carriers operating 
in the U.S. foreign oceanborne commerce.
    The information will be used to compile and publish a quarterly 
report on total U.S. export and import tonnage deployed and total 
loaded and empty 20-foot equivalent units per vessel operated by 
vessel-operating common carriers. The universe will be vessel-operating 
common carriers that transport 1,500 or more 20-foot equivalent units 
per month (total across imports and exports, regardless of whether they 
are laden or empty) in or out of the U.S., in the U.S. oceanborne 
foreign commerce. The Commission estimates that approximately 70 of the

[[Page 75630]]

154 currently registered vessel-operating common carriers transport 
1,500 or more 20-foot equivalent units per month, totaling over 99 
percent of imported and exported containerized cargo.
    Current Actions: This information being submitted contains a new 
data collection.
    Type of Review: New data collection.
    Needs and Uses: The Commission will use collected data to publish a 
quarterly report as directed by OSRA 2022.
    Frequency: This information will be collected monthly.
    Type of Respondents: The universe will be carriers who transport 
1,500 20-foot equivalent units or more per month (total across imports 
and exports, regardless of whether they are laden) in or out of the 
U.S., in the U.S. oceanborne foreign commerce.
    Number of Annual Respondents: The Commission estimates an annual 
respondent universe of 70. The Commission expects the estimated number 
of annual respondents to remain at 70 in the future.
    Estimated Time per Response: The time per response is estimated at 
80 person-hours for reporting.
    Total Annual Burden: For the 70 annual respondents, the burden is 
calculated as 70 x 80 hours = 5,600 hours.

William Cody,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2022-26804 Filed 12-8-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6730-02-P