[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 191 (Wednesday, October 4, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68608-68609]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-22075]



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FEDERAL MARITIME COMMISSION

[Docket No. FMC-2023-0014]


Agency Information Collection Activities: 30-Day Public Comment 
Request

AGENCY: Federal Maritime Commission.

ACTION: Thirty-day notice; 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 renewal of an existing information 
collection related to Licensing, Financial Responsibility Requirements 
and General Duties for Ocean Transportation Intermediaries and Related 
Forms. The public is invited to comment on the information collection 
pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before November 3, 
2023.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be submitted to: (1) the Commission through 
the Federal eRulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov (docket FMC-2023-
0014); and (2) the Office of Management and Budget's Office of 
Information and Regulatory Affairs through the portal at https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.
    Find this particular information collection at Reginfo.gov by 
selecting ``Currently under Review--Open for Public Comments'' or by 
using the search function.
    If your material cannot be submitted to the addresses above, 
contact the person in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of 
this document for alternate instructions.
    A copy of this notice can be found at https://www.regulations.gov/ 
under Docket No. FMC-2023-0014. The associated forms can be found at 
https://www.fmc.gov/forms-and-applications/.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amy Strauss, Acting Secretary; Phone: 
(202) 523-5725; Email: [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.).
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be included or 
summarized in our request for 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: (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.

Previous Request for Comments

    On July 18, 2023, the Commission published a notice and request for 
comment in the Federal Register (88 FR 45903) regarding the agency's 
request for approval from OMB for information collections as required 
by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. During the 60-day period, the 
Commission received no comments on the request for OMB clearance.

Information Collections Open for Comment

    Title: 46 CFR 515--Licensing, Financial Responsibility Requirements 
and General Duties for Ocean Transportation Intermediaries and Related 
Forms.
    OMB Approval Number: 3072-0018 (Expires Dec 31, 2023).
    Abstract: The Shipping Act of 1984 (the Act), 46 U.S.C. 40101-
41309, as amended, provides that no person in the United States may 
advertise, hold oneself out, or act as an ocean transportation 
intermediary (OTI) unless that person holds a license issued by the 
Commission. The Commission shall issue an OTI license to any person 
that the Commission determines to be qualified by experience and 
character to act as an OTI. Further, no person may act as an OTI unless 
that person furnishes a bond, proof of insurance, or other surety in a 
form and amount determined by the Commission to insure financial 
responsibility. The Commission has implemented the Act's OTI 
requirements in regulations contained in 46 CFR part 515, including 
financial responsibility Forms FMC-48, FMC-67, FMC-68, and FMC-69, 
Optional Rider Forms FMC-48A and FMC-69A, its related license 
application Form FMC-18, and the related foreign-based unlicensed NVOCC 
registration/renewal Form FMC-65. This update includes an increase in 
number of responses received. The burden estimated per response remains 
the same.
    Current Actions: There are no changes to this information 
collection.
    Type of Review: Extension.
    Needs and Uses: The Commission uses information obtained under this 
part and through Form FMC-18 to determine the qualifications of OTIs 
and their compliance with the Act and regulations, and to enable the 
Commission to discharge its duties under the Act by ensuring that OTIs 
maintain acceptable evidence of financial responsibility. If the 
collection of information were not conducted, there would be no basis 
upon which the Commission could determine if applicants are qualified 
for licensing. The Commission would also not be able to effectively 
assess the compliance of foreign-based, unlicensed NVOCCs without the 
required registration information.
    Frequency: This information will be collected on an ad hoc basis.
    Type of Respondents: The types of respondents are persons desiring 
to obtain or maintain a license or registration to advertise, hold 
themselves out as, or act as an OTI. Under the Act, OTIs may be either 
an ocean freight forwarder, an NVOCC, or both.
    Number of Annual Respondents: The previous renewal in 2020 stated 
that the number of respondents was 8,729. Due to an increase in the 
number of OTIs, the Commission estimates the new number of respondents 
as 10,130. The distribution of responses is as follows: 750 FMC-18 
filings, 1,770 OTI License renewals, 5,160 FMC-48 filings, 50 FMC-69 
filings,12 FMC-48A filings, 1,560 FMC-65 registration filings, and 830 
FMC-65 renewals. The Commission does not anticipate receiving any 
filings of FMC-67, FMC-68, or FMC-69A based on experience in recent 
years, and the estimate for these forms is zero. These forms are 
included in this renewal to remain available to respondents when 
applicable.
    Estimated Time per Response: The average time per response to 
complete application Form FMC-18 is 2 hours and to complete the 
triennial renewal is 10 minutes. The time to complete a financial 
responsibility form (FMC-48, FMC-48A, FMC-67, FMC-68, FMC-69, or FMC-
69A) averages 20 minutes per form. The time to complete Form FMC-65 to 
submit or renew a registration as a foreign-based, unlicensed NVOCC 
averages 15 minutes.
    Total Annual Burden: 1,500 person-hours (Form FMC-18) + 1,720 
person-

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hours (Form FMC-48) + 4 person-hours (Form FMC-48A) + 17 person-hours 
(Form FMC-69) + 598 person-hours (Form FMC 65 New/Renewal) + 295 
person-hours (License Renewal) = 4,134 total person-hours. Total burden 
equals 4,134 hours.

Carl Savoy,
Program Support Specialist.
[FR Doc. 2023-22075 Filed 10-3-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6730-02-P