The Airforwarders Association (AfA) is backing the proposed new Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022.

"AfA is backing the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022 as many of its members are full-service freight forwarders offering a variety of transportation options, including ocean," said Brandon Fried, executive director, AfA. 

Fried noted that throughout the pandemic, AfA members have had to conduct frank conversations with their clients, and have been often forced to pass along "exceedingly high detention and demurrage fees incurred as a result of inefficient maritime port operations."

"The proposed legislation would hopefully reduce fees to freight forwarders, their cargo owner clients, and truck vendors who serve our industry and customers," Fried said.

"Our hope is that this legislation will force ocean carriers and marine terminals to provide more efficient handling of cargo while reducing the detention and demurrage costs often unfairly assessed, even when the cargo is not made available by those entities," the AfA executive added.

Ocean shippers already earlier issued a statement against the Ocean Shipping Reform Act with the World Shipping Council noting that the legislation does nothing to solve the main causes of the continuing congestion across US ports —  and would make existing port congestion worse.