Yesterday, US President Donald Trump issued an executive order under which all independent federal agencies are now subject to his direct supervision.
Among others, the executive order mentions the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as examples, but the wording of the executive order implies that the measure will also apply to the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC).
It is unclear whether, or to what extent, this will have an impact on FMC activities (ongoing or planned), and thus on container transport.
The order explicitly states that all federal agencies will, from now on, be accountable to the American people. In other words: they will have to wait for clearance from the White House before publishing their regulations. Not only that, but they will also have to liaise with Washington to establish courses of action and priorities.
Translation by Giles Foster