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National
United States Regulations
46 CFR PART 535—OCEAN COMMON CARRIER AND MARINE TERMINAL OPERATOR AGREEMENTS SUBJECT TO THE SHIPPING ACT OF 1984


Title 46: Shipping





PART 535—OCEAN COMMON CARRIER AND MARINE TERMINAL OPERATOR AGREEMENTS SUBJECT TO THE SHIPPING ACT OF 1984




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Authority: 5 U.S.C. 553; 46 U.S.C. 1701–1707, 1709–1710, 1712 and 1714–1718; Pub. L. 105–258, 112 Stat. 1902 (46 U.S.C. 1701 note); Sec. 424, Pub. L. 105–383, 112 Stat. 3440.

Source: 69 FR 64414, Nov. 4, 2004, unless otherwise noted.

Subpart A—General Provisions
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§ 535.101 Authority.
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The rules in this part are issued pursuant to the authority of section 4 of the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553), sections 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13, 15, 16, 17, and 19 of the Shipping Act of 1984 (“the Act”), and the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 1998, Pub. L. 105–258, 112 Stat. 1902.

§ 535.102 Purpose.
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This part implements those provisions of the Act that govern agreements by or among ocean common carriers and agreements among marine terminal operators and among one or more marine terminal operators and one or more ocean common carriers. This part also sets forth more specifically certain procedures provided for in the Act.

§ 535.103 Policies.
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(a) The Act requires that agreements be processed and reviewed, upon their initial filing, according to strict statutory deadlines. This part is intended to establish procedures for the orderly and expeditious review of filed agreements in accordance with the statutory requirements.

(b) The Act requires that agreements be reviewed, upon their initial filing, to ensure compliance with all applicable provisions of the Act and empowers the Commission to obtain information to conduct that review. This part identifies those types of agreements that must be accompanied by information submissions when they are first filed, and sets forth the kind of information for certain agreements that the Commission believes relevant to that review. Only information that is relevant to such a review is requested. It is the policy of the Commission to keep the costs of regulation to a minimum and at the same time obtain information needed to fulfill its statutory responsibility.

(c) To further the goal of expedited processing and review of agreements upon their initial filing, agreements are required to meet certain minimum requirements as to form. These requirements are intended to ensure expedited review and should assist parties in preparing agreements. These requirements as to form do not affect the substance of an agreement and are intended to allow parties the freedom to develop innovative commercial relationships and provide efficient and economic transportation systems.

(d) The Act itself excludes certain agreements from the filing requirements and authorizes the Commission to exempt other classes of agreements from any requirement of the Act or this part. To minimize delay in the implementation of routine agreements and to avoid the private and public cost of unnecessary regulation, certain classes of agreements are exempt from the filing requirements of this part.

(e) Under the regulatory framework established by the Act, the role of the Commission as a monitoring agency has been enhanced. The Act favors greater freedom in allowing parties to form their commercial arrangements. This, however, requires greater monitoring of agreements after they have become effective to assure their continued compliance with all applicable provisions of the Act. The Act empowers the Commission to impose certain recordkeeping and reporting requirements. This part identifies those agreements that require specific record retention and reporting to the Commission and prescribes the applicable period of record retention, the form and content of such reporting, and the applicable time periods for filing with the Commission. Only information that is necessary to assure that the Commission's monitoring responsibilities will be fulfilled is requested.

(f) The Act requires that conference agreements contain certain mandatory provisions. Each conference agreement must:

(1) State its purpose;

(2) Provide reasonable and equal terms and conditions for admission and readmission to membership;

(3) Allow for withdrawal from membership upon reasonable notice without penalty;

(4) Require an independent neutral body to police the conference, if requested by a member;

(5) Prohibit conduct specified in sections 10(c)(1) or 10(c)(3) of the Act;

(6) Provide for a consultation process;

(7) Establish procedures for considering shippers' requests and complaints; and

(8) Provide for independent action.

(g) To promote competitive and efficient transportation and a greater reliance on the marketplace, the Act places limits on carriers' agreements regarding service contracts. Carriers may not enter into an agreement to prohibit or restrict members from engaging in contract negotiations, may not require members to disclose service contract negotiations or terms and conditions (other than those required to be published), and may not adopt mandatory rules or requirements affecting the right of an agreement member or agreement members to negotiate and enter into contracts. However, agreement members may adopt voluntary guidelines covering the terms and procedures of members' contracts.

§ 535.104 Definitions.
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When used in this part:

(a) Agreement means an understanding, arrangement, or association, written or oral (including any modification, cancellation or appendix) entered into by or among ocean common carriers and/or marine terminal operators, but does not include a maritime labor agreement.

(b) Antitrust laws means the Act of July 2, 1890 (ch. 647, 26 Stat. 209), 15 U.S.C. 1, as amended; the Act of October 15, 1914 (ch. 323, 38 Stat. 730), 15 U.S.C. 12, as amended; the Federal Trade Commission Act (38 Stat. 717), 15 U.S.C. 41, as amended; sections 73 and 74 of the Act of August 27, 1894 (28 Stat. 570), 15 U.S.C. 8, 9, as amended; the Act of June 19, 1936 (ch. 592, 49 Stat. 1526), 15 U.S.C. 13, as amended; the Antitrust Civil Process Act (76 Stat. 548), 15 U.S.C. 1311, note as amended; and amendments and Acts supplementary thereto.

(c) Appendix means a document containing additional material of limited application and appended to an agreement, distinctly differentiated from the main body of the basic agreement.

(d) Assessment agreement means an agreement, whether part of a collective bargaining agreement or negotiated separately, that provides for collectively bargained fringe benefit obligations on other than a uniform man-hour basis regardless of the cargo handled or type of vessel or equipment utilized.

(e) Capacity rationalization means a concerted reduction, stabilization, withholding, or other limitation in any manner whatsoever by ocean common carriers on the size or number of vessels or available space offered collectively or individually to shippers in any trade or service.

(f) Common carrier means a person holding itself out to the general public to provide transportation by water of passengers or cargo between the United States and a foreign country for compensation that:

(1) Assumes responsibility for the transportation from the port or point of receipt to the port or point of destination; and

(2) Utilizes, for all or part of that transportation, a vessel operating on the high seas or the Great Lakes between a port in the United States and a port in a foreign country, except that the term does not include a common carrier engaged in ocean transportation by ferry boat, ocean tramp, or chemical parcel tanker, or by a vessel when primarily engaged in the carriage of perishable agricultural commodities:

(i) If the common carrier and the owner of those commodities are wholly owned, directly or indirectly, by a person primarily engaged in the marketing and distribution of those commodities; and

(ii) Only with respect to those commodities.

(g) Conference agreement means an agreement between or among two or more ocean common carriers that provides for the fixing of and adherence to uniform tariff rates, charges, practices, and conditions of service relating to the receipt, carriage, handling and/or delivery of passengers or cargo for all members. The term does not include joint service, pooling, sailing, space charter, or transshipment agreements.

(h) Consultation means a process whereby a conference and a shipper confer for the purpose of promoting the commercial resolution of disputes and/or the prevention and elimination of the occurrence of malpractices.

(i) Cooperative working agreement means an agreement that establishes exclusive, preferential, or cooperative working relationships that are subject to the Act, but that do not fall precisely within the parameters of any specifically defined agreement.

(j) Effective agreement means an agreement effective under the Act.

(k) Equal access agreement means an agreement between ocean common carriers of different nationalities, as determined by the incorporation or domicile of the carriers' operating companies, whereby such ocean common carriers associate for the purpose of gaining reciprocal access to cargo that is otherwise reserved by national decree, legislation, statute or regulation to carriage by the merchant marine of the carriers' respective nations.

(l) Independent neutral body means a disinterested third party, authorized by a conference and its members to review, examine, and investigate alleged breaches or violations of the conference agreement and/or the conference's properly promulgated tariffs, rules, or regulations by any member of the conference.

(m) Information Form means the form containing economic information that must accompany the filing of certain agreements and modifications.

(n) Interconference agreement means an agreement between conferences.

(o)(1) Joint service agreement means an agreement between ocean common carriers operating as a joint venture whereby a separate service is established that:

(i) Holds itself out in its own distinct operating name;

(ii) Independently fixes its own rates, charges, practices, and conditions of service or chooses to participate under its operating name in another agreement that is duly authorized to determine and implement such activities;

(iii) Independently publishes its own tariff or chooses to participate under its operating name in an otherwise established tariff;

(iv) Issues its own bills of lading; and

(v) Acts generally as a single carrier.

(2) The common use of facilities in a joint service may occur, and there is no competition between members for cargo in the agreement trade; but they otherwise maintain their separate identities.

(p) Marine terminal facilities means one or more structures (and services connected therewith) comprising a terminal unit, including, but not limited to docks, berths, piers, aprons, wharves, warehouses, covered and/or open storage space, cold storage plants, grain elevators and/or bulk cargo loading and/or unloading structures, landings, and receiving stations, used for the transmission, care and convenience of cargo and/or passengers or the interchange of same between land and ocean common carriers or between two ocean common carriers. This term is not limited to waterfront or port facilities and includes so-called off-dock container freight stations at inland locations and any other facility from which inbound waterborne cargo may be tendered to the consignee or outbound cargo may be received from shippers for vessel or container loading.

(q) Marine terminal operator means a person engaged in the United States in the business of furnishing wharfage, dock, warehouse, or other terminal facilities in connection with a common carrier, or in connection with a common carrier and a water carrier subject to subchapter II of chapter 135 of title 49 U.S.C. This term does not include shippers or consignees who exclusively furnish marine terminal facilities or services in connection with tendering or receiving proprietary cargo from a common carrier or water carrier.

(r) Maritime labor agreement means a collective-bargaining agreement between an employer subject to the Act or group of such employers, and a labor organization representing employees in the maritime or stevedoring industry, or an agreement preparatory to such a collective-bargaining agreement among members of a multi-employer bargaining group, or an agreement specifically implementing provisions of such a collective-bargaining agreement or providing for the formation, financing or administration of a multi-employer bargaining group; but the term does not include an assessment agreement.

(s) Modification means any change, alteration, correction, addition, deletion, or revision of an existing effective agreement or to any appendix to such an agreement.

(t) Monitoring Report means the report containing economic information that must be filed at defined intervals with regard to certain agreements that are effective under the Act.

(u) Ocean common carrier means a common carrier that operates, for all or part of its common carrier service, a vessel on the high seas or the Great Lakes between a port in the United States and a port in a foreign country, except that the term does not include a common carrier engaged in ocean transportation by ferry boat, ocean tramp, or chemical parcel-tanker.

(v) Ocean freight forwarder means a person in the United States that dispatches shipments from the United States via common carriers and books or otherwise arranges space for those shipments on behalf of shippers; and processes the documentation or performs related activities incident to those shipments.

(w) Person means individuals, corporations, partnerships and associations existing under or authorized by the laws of the United States or of a foreign country.

(x) Pooling agreement means an agreement between ocean common carriers that provides for the division of cargo carryings, earnings, or revenue and/or losses between the members in accordance with an established formula or scheme.

(y) Port means the place at which an ocean common carrier originates or terminates (and/or transships) its actual ocean carriage of cargo or passengers as to any particular transportation movement.

(z) Rate, for purposes of this part, includes both the basic price paid by a shipper to an ocean common carrier for a specified level of transportation service for a stated quantity of a particular commodity, from origin to destination, on or after a stated effective date or within a defined time frame, and also any accessorial charges or allowances that increase or decrease the total transportation cost to the shipper.

(aa) Rate agreement means an agreement between ocean common carriers that authorizes the discussion of or agreement on, either on a binding basis under a common tariff or on a non-binding basis, any kind of rate or charge.

(bb) Sailing agreement means an agreement between ocean common carriers to provide service by establishing a schedule of ports that each carrier will serve, the frequency of each carrier's calls at those ports, and/or the size and capacity of the vessels to be deployed by the parties. The term does not include joint service agreements, or capacity rationalization agreements.

(cc) Service contract means a written contract, other than a bill of lading or a receipt, between one or more shippers and an individual ocean common carrier or an agreement between or among ocean common carriers in which the shipper or shippers makes a commitment to provide a certain volume or portion of cargo over a fixed time period, and the ocean common carrier or the agreement commits to a certain rate or rate schedule and a defined service level, such as assured space, transit time, port rotation, or similar service features. The contract may also specify provisions in the event of nonperformance on the part of any party.

(dd) Shipper means:

(1) A cargo owner;

(2) The person for whose account the ocean transportation is provided;

(3) The person to whom delivery is to be made;

(4) A shippers' association; or

(5) A non-vessel-operating common carrier (i.e., a common carrier that does not operate the vessels by which the ocean transportation is provided and is a shipper in its relationship with an ocean common carrier) that accepts responsibility for payment of all charges applicable under the tariff or service contract.

(ee) Shippers' association means a group of shippers that consolidates or distributes freight on a nonprofit basis for the members of the group in order to secure carload, truckload, or other volume rates or service contracts.

(ff) Shippers' requests and complaints means a communication from a shipper to a conference requesting a change in tariff rates, rules, regulations, or service; protesting or objecting to existing rates, rules, regulations or service; objecting to rate increases or other tariff changes; protesting allegedly erroneous service contract or tariff implementation or application, and/or requesting to enter into a service contract. Routine information requests are not included in the term.

(gg) Space charter agreement means an agreement between ocean common carriers whereby a carrier (or carriers) agrees to provide vessel space for use by another carrier (or carriers) in exchange for compensation or services. The arrangement may include arrangements for equipment interchange and receipt/delivery of cargo, but may not include capacity rationalization as defined in this subpart.

(hh) Sub-trade means the scope of ocean liner cargo carried between each U.S. port range and each foreign country within the scope of the agreement. U.S. port ranges are defined as follows:

(1) Atlantic and Gulf shall encompass ports along the eastern seaboard and the Gulf of Mexico from the northern boundary of Maine to Brownsville, Texas. It also includes all ports bordering on the Great Lakes and their connecting waterways, all ports in the State of New York on the St. Lawrence River, and all ports in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands; and

(2) Pacific shall encompass all ports in the States of Alaska, Hawaii, California, Oregon, and Washington. It also includes all ports in Guam, American Samoa, Northern Marianas, Johnston Island, Midway Island, and Wake Island.

(ii) Through transportation means continuous transportation between origin and destination for which a through rate is assessed and which is offered or performed by one or more carriers, at least one of which is an ocean common carrier, between a United States point or port and a foreign point or port.

(jj) Transshipment agreement means an agreement between an ocean common carrier serving a port or point of origin and another such carrier serving a port or point of destination, whereby cargo is transferred from one carrier to another carrier at an intermediate port served by direct vessel call of both such carriers in the conduct of through transportation and the publishing carrier performs the transportation on one leg of the through transportation on its own vessel or on a vessel on which it has rights to space under a filed and effective agreement. Such an agreement does not provide for the concerted discussion, publication or otherwise fixing of rates for the account of the cargo interests, conditions of service or other tariff matters other than the tariff description of the transshipment service offered, the port of transshipment and the participation of the nonpublishing carrier. An agreement that involves the movement of cargo in a domestic offshore trade as part of a through movement of cargo via transshipment involving the foreign commerce of the United States shall be considered to be in the foreign commerce of the United States and, therefore, subject to the Act and this part.

(kk) Vessel-operating costs means any of the following expenses incurred by an ocean common carrier: salaries and wages of officers and unlicensed crew, including relief crews and others regularly employed aboard the vessel; fringe benefits; expenses associated with consumable stores, supplies and equipment; vessel fuel and incidental costs; vessel maintenance and repair expense; hull and machinery insurance costs; protection and indemnity insurance costs; costs for other marine risk insurance not properly chargeable to hull and machinery insurance or to protection and indemnity insurance accounts; and charter hire expenses.

Subpart B—Scope
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§ 535.201 Subject agreements.
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(a) Ocean common carrier agreements. This part applies to agreements by or among ocean common carriers to:

(1) Discuss, fix, or regulate transportation rates, including through rates, cargo space accommodations, and other conditions of service;

(2) Pool or apportion traffic, revenues, earnings, or losses;

(3) Allot ports or restrict or otherwise regulate the number and character of sailings between ports;

(4) Limit or regulate the volume or character of cargo or passenger traffic to be carried;

(5) Engage in exclusive, preferential, or cooperative working arrangements among themselves or with one or more marine terminal operators;

(6) Control, regulate, or prevent competition in international ocean transportation; or

(7) Discuss and agree on any matter related to service contracts.

(b) Marine terminal operator agreements. This part applies to agreements among marine terminal operators and among one or more marine terminal operators and one or more ocean carriers to:

(1) Discuss, fix, or regulate rates or other conditions of service; or

(2) Engage in exclusive, preferential, or cooperative working arrangements, to the extent that such agreements involve ocean transportation in the foreign commerce of the United States.

§ 535.202 Non-subject agreements.
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This part does not apply to the following agreements:

(a) Any acquisition by any person, directly or indirectly, of any voting security or assets of any other person;

(b) Any maritime labor agreement;

(c) Any agreement related to transportation to be performed within or between foreign countries;

(d) Any agreement among common carriers to establish, operate, or maintain a marine terminal in the United States; and

(e) Any agreement among marine terminal operators that exclusively and solely involves transportation in the interstate commerce of the United States.

Subpart C—Exemptions
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§ 535.301 Exemption procedures.
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(a) Authority. The Commission, upon application or its own motion, may by order or rule exempt for the future any class of agreement involving ocean common carriers and/or marine terminal operators from any requirement of the Act if it finds that the exemption will not result in substantial reduction in competition or be detrimental to commerce.

(b) Optional filing. Notwithstanding any exemption from filing, or other requirements of the Act and this part, any party to an exempt agreement may file such an agreement with the Commission.

(c) Application for exemption. Applications for exemptions shall conform to the general filing requirements for exemptions set forth at §502.67 of this title.

(d) Retention of agreement by parties. Any agreement that has been exempted by the Commission pursuant to section 16 of the Act shall be retained by the parties and shall be available upon request by the Bureau of Trade Analysis for inspection during the term of the agreement and for a period of three years after its termination.

§ 535.302 Exemptions for certain modifications of effective agreements.
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(a) Non-substantive modifications to effective agreements. A non-substantive modification to an effective agreement between ocean common carriers and/or marine terminal operators, acting individually or through approved agreements, is one which:

(1) Reflects changes in the name of any geographic locality stated therein, the name of the agreement or the name of a party to the agreement, the names and/or numbers of any other section 4 agreement or designated provisions thereof referred to in an agreement;

(2) Corrects typographical and grammatical errors in the text of the agreement or renumbers or reletters articles or sub-articles of agreements and references thereto in the text; or

(3) Reflects changes in the titles of persons or committees designated therein or transfers the functions of such persons or committees to other designated persons or committees or which merely establishes a committee.

(b) Other Miscellaneous Modifications to effective agreements. A miscellaneous modification to an effective agreement is one that:

(1) Cancels the agreement or a portion thereof;

(2) Deletes an agreement party;

(3) Changes the parties to a conference agreement or a discussion agreement among passenger vessel operating common carriers that is open to all ocean common carriers operating passenger vessels of a class defined in the agreements and that does not contain ratemaking, pooling, joint service, sailing or space chartering authority; or

(4) Changes the officials of the agreement and delegations of authority.

(c) A copy of a modification described in (a) or (b) of this section shall be submitted to the Commission but is otherwise exempt from the waiting period requirement of the Act and this part.

(d) Parties to agreements may seek a determination from the Director of the Bureau of Trade Analysis as to whether a particular modification is a non-substantive or other miscellaneous modification within the meaning of this section.

(e) The filing fee for non-substantive or other miscellaneous modifications is provided in §535.401(g).

§ 535.303 Husbanding agreements—exemption.
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(a) A husbanding agreement is an agreement between an ocean common carrier and another ocean common carrier or marine terminal operator, acting as the former's agent, under which the agent handles routine vessel operating activities in port, such as notifying port officials of vessel arrivals and departures; ordering pilots, tugs, and linehandlers; delivering mail; transmitting reports and requests from the Master to the owner/operator; dealing with passenger and crew matters; and providing similar services related to the above activities. The term does not include an agreement that provides for the solicitation or booking of cargoes, signing contracts or bills of lading and other related matters, nor does it include an agreement that prohibits the agent from entering into similar agreements with other carriers.

(b) A husbanding agreement is exempt from the filing requirements of the Act and of this part.

(c) The filing fee for optional filing of husbanding agreements is provided in §535.401(g).

§ 535.304 Agency agreements—exemption.
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(a) An agency agreement is an agreement between an ocean common carrier and another ocean common carrier or marine terminal operator, acting as the former's agent, under which the agent solicits and books cargoes and signs contracts of affreightment and bills of lading on behalf of the ocean common carrier. Such an agreement may or may not also include husbanding service functions and other functions incidental to the performance of duties by agents, including processing of claims, maintenance of a container equipment inventory control system, collection and remittance of freight and reporting functions.

(b) An agency agreement as defined above is exempt from the filing requirements of the Act and of this part, except those:

(1) Where a common carrier is to be the agent for a competing ocean common carrier in the same trade; or

(2) That permit an agent to enter into similar agreements with more than one ocean common carrier in a trade.

(c) The filing fee for optional filing of agency agreements is provided in §535.401(g).

§ 535.305 Equipment interchange agreements—exemption.
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(a) An equipment interchange agreement is an agreement between two or more ocean common carriers for:

(1) The exchange of empty containers, chassis, empty LASH/SEABEE barges, and related equipment; and

(2) The transportation of the equipment as required, payment therefor, management of the logistics of transferring, handling and positioning equipment, its use by the receiving carrier, its repair and maintenance, damages thereto, and liability incidental to the interchange of equipment.

(b) An equipment interchange agreement is exempt from the filing requirements of the Act and of this part.

(c) The filing fee for optional filing of equipment interchange agreements is provided in §535.401(g).

§ 535.306 Nonexclusive transshipment agreements—exemption.
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(a) A nonexclusive transshipment agreement is a transshipment agreement by which one ocean common carrier serving a port of origin by direct vessel call and another such carrier serving a port of destination by direct vessel call provide transportation between such ports via an intermediate port served by direct vessel call of both such carriers and at which cargo will be transferred from one to the other and which agreement does not:

(1) Prohibit either carrier from entering into similar agreements with other carriers;

(2) Guarantee any particular volume of traffic or available capacity; or

(3) Provide for the discussion or fixing of rates for the account of the cargo interests, conditions of service or other tariff matters other than the tariff description of the service offered as being by means of transshipment, the port of transshipment and the participation of the nonpublishing carrier.

(b) A nonexclusive transshipment agreement is exempt from the filing requirements of the Act and of this part, provided that the tariff provisions set forth in paragraph (c) of this section and the content requirements of paragraph (d) of this section are met.

(c) The applicable tariff or tariffs shall provide:

(1) The through rate;

(2) The routings (origin, transshipment and destination ports); additional charges, if any (i.e. port arbitrary and/or additional transshipment charges); and participating carriers; and

(3) A tariff provision substantially as follows:

The rules, regulations, and rates in this tariff apply to all transshipment arrangements between the publishing carrier or carriers and the participating, connecting or feeder carrier. Every participating connecting or feeder carrier which is a party to transshipment arrangements has agreed to observe the rules, regulations, rates, and routings established herein as evidenced by a connecting carrier agreement between the parties.

(d) Nonexclusive transshipment agreements must contain the entire arrangement between the parties, must contain a declaration of the nonexclusive character of the arrangement and may provide for:

(1) The identification of the parties and the specification of their respective roles in the arrangement;

(2) A specification of the governed cargo;

(3) The specification of responsibility for the issuance of bills of lading (and the assumption of common carriage-associated liabilities) to the cargo interests;

(4) The specification of the origin, transshipment and destination ports;

(5) The specification of the governing tariff(s) and provision for their succession;

(6) The specification of the particulars of the nonpublishing carrier's concurrence/participation in the tariff of the publishing carrier;

(7) The division of revenues earned as a consequence of the described carriage;

(8) The division of expenses incurred as a consequence of the described carriage;

(9) Termination and/or duration of the agreement;

(10) Intercarrier indemnification or provision for intercarrier liabilities consequential to the contemplated carriage and such documentation as may be necessary to evidence the involved obligations;

(11) The care, handling and liabilities for the interchange of such carrier equipment as may be consequential to the involved carriage;

(12) Such rationalization of services as may be necessary to ensure the cost effective performance of the contemplated carriage; and

(13) Such agency relationships as may be necessary to provide for the pickup and/or delivery of the cargo.

(e) No subject other than as listed in paragraph (d) of this section may be included in exempted nonexclusive transshipment agreements.

(f) The filing fee for optional filing of nonexclusive transshipment agreements is provided in §535.401(g).

§ 535.307 Agreements between or among wholly-owned subsidiaries and/or their parent'exemption.
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(a) An agreement between or among wholly-owned subsidiaries and/or their parent means an agreement under section 4 of the Act between or among an ocean common carrier or marine terminal operator subject to the Act and any one or more ocean common carriers or marine terminal operators which are ultimately owned 100 percent by that ocean common carrier or marine terminal operator, or an agreement between or among such wholly-owned carriers or terminal operators.

(b) All agreements between or among wholly-owned subsidiaries and/or their parent are exempt from the filing requirements of the Act and this part.

(c) Ocean common carriers are exempt from section 10(c) of the Act to the extent that the concerted activities proscribed by that section result solely from agreements between or among wholly-owned subsidiaries and/or their parent.

(d) The filing fee for optional filing of these agreements is provided in §535.401(g).

§ 535.308 Marine terminal agreements—exemption.
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(a) Marine terminal agreement means an agreement, understanding, or association written or oral (including any modification or appendix) that applies to future, prospective activities between or among the parties and that relates solely to marine terminal facilities and/or services among marine terminal operators and among one or more marine terminal operators and one or more ocean common carriers that completely sets forth the applicable rates, charges, terms and conditions agreed to by the parties for the facilities and/or services provided for under the agreement. The term does not include a joint venture arrangement among marine terminal operators to establish a separate, distinct entity that fixes its own rates and publishes its own tariff.

(b) Marine terminal conference agreement means an agreement between or among two or more marine terminal operators and/or ocean common carriers for the conduct or facilitation of marine terminal operations that provides for the fixing of and adherence to uniform maritime terminal rates, charges, practices and conditions of service relating to the receipt, handling, and/or delivery of passengers or cargo for all members.

(c) Marine terminal discussion agreement means an agreement between or among two or more marine terminal operators and/or marine terminal conferences and/or ocean common carriers solely for the discussion of subjects including marine terminal rates, charges, practices, and conditions of service relating to the receipt, handling and/or delivery of passengers or cargo.

(d) Marine terminal interconference agreement means an agreement between or among two or more marine terminal conference and/or marine terminal discussion agreements.

(e) All marine terminal agreements, as defined in §535.308(a), with the exception of marine terminal conference, marine terminal interconference, and marine terminal discussion agreements as defined in §535.308(b), (c), and (d), are exempt from the waiting period requirements of the Act and this part and will, accordingly, be effective on filing with the Commission.

(f) The filing fee for marine terminal agreements is provided in §535.401(g).

§ 535.309 Marine terminal services agreements—exemption.
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(a) Marine terminal services agreement means an agreement, contract, understanding, arrangement, or association, written or oral, (including any modification or appendix) between a marine terminal operator and an ocean common carrier that applies to marine terminal services that are provided to and paid for by an ocean common carrier. These services include: checking, dockage, free time, handling, heavy lift, loading and unloading, terminal storage, usage, wharfage, and wharf demurrage and including any marine terminal facilities that may be provided incidentally to such marine terminal services. The term marine terminal services agreement does not include any agreement that conveys to the involved carrier any rights to operate any marine terminal facility by means of a lease, license, permit, assignment, land rental, or similar other arrangement for the use of marine terminal facilities or property.

(b) All marine terminal services agreements as defined in §535.309(a) are exempt from the filing and waiting period requirements of the Act and this part on condition that:

(1) They do not include rates, charges, rules, and regulations that are determined through a marine terminal conference agreement, as defined in §535.308(b); and

(2) No antitrust immunity is conferred under the Act with regard to terminal services provided to an ocean common carrier under a marine terminal services agreement that is not filed with the Commission.

(c) The filing fee for optional filing of terminal services agreements is provided in §535.401(g).

§ 535.310 Marine terminal facilities agreement—exemption.
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(a) Marine terminal facilities agreement means any agreement between or among two or more marine terminal operators, or between one or more marine terminal operators and one or more ocean common carriers, to the extent that the agreement involves ocean transportation in the foreign commerce of the United States, that conveys to any of the involved parties any rights to operate any marine terminal facility by means of lease, license, permit, assignment, land rental, or other similar arrangement for the use of marine terminal facilities or property.

(b) All marine terminal facilities agreements as defined in §535.310(a) are exempt from the filing and waiting period requirements of the Act and this part.

(c) Parties to marine terminal facilities agreements currently in effect shall provide copies to any requesting party for a reasonable copying and mailing fee.

(d) The filing fee for optional filing of terminal facilities agreements is provided in §535.401(g).

§ 535.311 Low market share agreements—exemption.
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(a) Low market share agreement means any agreement among ocean common carriers which contains none of the authorities listed in §535.502(b) and for which the combined market share, based on cargo volume, of the parties in any of the agreement's sub-trades is either:

(1) Less than 30 percent, if all parties are members of another agreement in the same trade or sub-trade containing any of the authorities listed in §535.502(b); or

(2) Less than 35 percent, if at least one party is not a member of another agreement in the same trade or sub-trade containing any of the authorities listed in §535.502(b).

(b) Low market share agreements are exempt from the waiting period requirement of the Act and this part, and are effective on filing.

(c) Parties to agreements may seek a determination from the Director, Bureau of Trade Analysis, as to whether a proposed agreement meets the general definition of a low market share agreement.

(d) The filing fee for low market share agreements is provided in §535.401(g).

[69 FR 64414, Nov. 4, 2004, as amended at 70 FR 20303, Apr. 19, 2005]

§ 535.312 Vessel charter party-exemption.
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(a) For purposes of this section, vessel charter party shall mean a contractual agreement between two ocean common carriers for the charter of the full reach of a vessel, which agreement sets forth the entire terms and conditions (including duration, charter hire, and geographical or operational limitations, if any) under which the vessel will be employed.

(b) Vessel charter parties, as defined in paragraph (a) of this section, are exempt from the filing requirements of the Act and this part.

(c) The filing fee for optional filing of vessel charter parties is provided in §535.401(g).

Subpart D—Filing of Agreements
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§ 535.401 General requirements.
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(a) All agreements (including oral agreements reduced to writing in accordance with the Act) subject to this part and filed with the Commission for review and disposition pursuant to section 6 of the Act, shall be submitted during regular business hours to the Secretary, Federal Maritime Commission, Washington, DC 20573. Such filing shall consist of:

(1) A true copy and seven additional copies of the executed agreement;

(2) Where required by this part, an original and five copies of the completed Information Form referenced at subpart E of this part; and

(3) A letter of transmittal as described in paragraph (b) of this section.

(b) The letter of transmittal shall:

(1) Identify all of the documents being transmitted including, in the instance of a modification to an effective agreement, the full name of the effective agreement, the Commission-assigned agreement number of the effective agreement and the revision, page and/or appendix number of the modification being filed;

(2) Provide a concise, succinct summary of the filed agreement or modification separate and apart from any narrative intended to provide support for the acceptability of the agreement or modification;

(3) Clearly provide the typewritten or otherwise imprinted name, position, business address, and telephone number of the filing party; and

(4) Be signed in the original by the filing party or on the filing party's behalf by an authorized employee or agent of the filing party.

(c) To facilitate the timely and accurate publication of the Federal Register Notice, the letter of transmittal shall also provide a current list of the agreement's participants where such information is not provided elsewhere in the transmitted documents.

(d) Any agreement that does not meet the filing requirements of this section, including any applicable Information Form requirements, shall be rejected in accordance with §535.601(b).

(e) Assessment agreements shall be filed and shall be effective upon filing.

(f) Parties to agreements with expiration dates shall file any modification seeking renewal for a specific term or elimination of a termination date in sufficient time to accommodate the 45-day waiting period required under the Act.

(g) Fees. The filing fee is $1,780 for new agreements requiring Commission review and action; $851 for agreement modifications requiring Commission review and action; $397 for agreements processed under delegated authority (for types of agreements that can be processed under delegated authority, see §501.26(e) of this chapter); $138 for carrier exempt agreements; and $75 for terminal exempt agreements.

(h) The fee for the Commission's agreement database report is $6.

[69 FR 64414, Nov. 4, 2004, as amended at 70 FR 10330, Mar. 3, 2005]

§ 535.402 Complete and definite agreements.
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An agreement filed under the Act must be clear and definite in its terms, must embody the complete, present understanding of the parties, and must set forth the specific authorities and conditions under which the parties to the agreement will conduct their operations and regulate the relationships among the agreement members, unless those details are matters specifically enumerated as exempt from the filing requirements of this part.

§ 535.403 Form of agreements.
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The requirements of this section apply to all agreements except marine terminal agreements and assessment agreements.

(a) Agreements shall be clearly and legibly written. Agreements in a language other than English shall be accompanied by an English translation.

(b) Every agreement shall include a Title Page indicating:

(1) The full name of the agreement;

(2) Once assigned, the Commission-assigned agreement number;

(3) If applicable, the expiration date of the agreement; and

(4) The original effective date of the agreement whenever the Title Page is revised.

(c) Each agreement page (including modifications and appendices) shall be identified by printing the agreement name (as shown on the agreement title page) and, once assigned, the applicable Commission-assigned agreement number at the top of each page. For agreement modifications, the appropriate amendment number for each modification should also appear on the page along with the basic agreement number.

(d) Each agreement and/or modification filed will be signed in the original by an official or authorized representative of each of the parties and shall indicate the typewritten full name of the signing party and his or her position, including organizational affiliation. Faxed or photocopied signatures will be accepted if replaced with an original signature as soon as practicable before the effective date.

(e) Every agreement shall include a Table of Contents indicating the location of all agreement provisions.

§ 535.404 Agreement provisions.
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Generally, each agreement should:

(a) Indicate the full legal name of each party, including any FMC-assigned agreement number associated with that name, and the address of its principal office (not the address of any agent or representative not an employee of the participating party);

(b) State the ports or port ranges to which the agreement applies as well as any inland points or areas to which it also applies; and

(c) Specify, by organizational title, the administrative and executive officials determined by the agreement parties to be responsible for designated affairs of the agreement and the respective duties and authorities delegated to those officials. At a minimum, the agreement should specify:

(1) The official(s) with authority to file the agreement and any modification thereto and to submit associated supporting materials; and

(2) A statement as to any designated U.S. representative of the agreement required by this chapter.

§ 535.405 Organization of conference agreements.
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Each conference agreement shall:

(a) State that, at the request of any member, the conference shall engage the services of an independent neutral body to fully police the obligations of the conference and its members. The agreement must include a description of any such neutral body authority and procedures related thereto.

(b) State affirmatively that the conference parties shall not engage in conduct prohibited by sections 10(c)(1) or 10(c)(3) of the Act.

(c) Specify the procedures for consultation with shippers and for handling shippers' requests and complaints.

(d) Include provisions for independent action in accordance with §535.801 of this part.

§ 535.406 Modification of agreements.
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The requirements of this section apply to all agreements except marine terminal agreements and assessment agreements.

(a) Agreement modifications shall be filed in accordance with the provisions of §§535.401, 535.402, and 535.403.

(b) Agreement modifications shall be made by reprinting the entire page on which the matter being changed is published (“revised page”). The revised page shall indicate the consecutive denomination of the revision (e.g., “1st Revised Page 7”). Additional material may be published on a new original page. New original pages inserted between existing effective pages shall be numbered with an alpha suffix (e.g., a page inserted between page 7 and page 8 shall be numbered 7a).

(c) Each revised page shall be accompanied by a duplicate page, submitted for illustrative purposes only, indicating the language being modified in the following manner:

(1) Language being deleted or superseded shall be struck through; and,

(2) New and initial or replacement language shall immediately follow the language being superseded and be underlined.

(d) If a modification requires the relocation of the provisions of the agreement, such modification shall be accompanied by a revised Table of Contents page that shall indicate the new location of the provisions.

§ 535.407 Application for waiver.
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(a) Upon a showing of good cause, the Commission may waive the requirements of §§535.401, 535.403, 535.404, 535.405, and 535.406.

(b) Requests for such a waiver shall be submitted in advance of the filing of the agreement to which the requested waiver would apply and shall state:

(1) The specific provisions from which relief is sought;

(2) The special circumstances requiring the requested relief; and

(3) Why granting the requested waiver will not substantially impair effective review of the agreement.

§ 535.408 Activities that may be conducted without further filings.
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(a) Agreements that arise from authority of an effective agreement but whose terms are not fully set forth in the effective agreement to the extent required by §535.402 are permitted without further filing only if they:

(1) Are themselves exempt from the filing requirements of this part (pursuant to subpart C—Exemptions of this part); or

(2) Are listed in paragraph (b) of this section.

(b) Unless otherwise exempt in subpart C of this part, only the following technical or operational matters of an agreement's affairs established pursuant to express enabling authority in an agreement are considered part of the effective agreement and do not require further filing under section 5 of the Act:

(1) Establishment of tariff rates, rules and regulations and their joint publication;

(2) The terms and conditions of space allocation and slot sales, the procedures for allocating space, the establishment of space charter rates, and the terms and conditions of charter parties;

(3) Stevedoring, terminal, and related services including the operation of tonnage centers or other joint container marshaling facilities; (continued)