News
The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) is reorganizing its investigative and prosecution functions by consolidating them into a Bureau of Enforcement, Investigations and Compliance (BEIC) effective immediately. The reorganization is being made in line with the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022 (OSRA2022), which went into effect in June. It has enhanced the FMC's investigation and enforcement authorities over shipping companies and terminal operators.
The BEIC will be headed by an attorney in the Senior Executive Service with regulatory, prosecutorial and investigatory experience. It will be divided into three sections: offices of enforcement, investigations and compliance.
As part of the reorganization, the FMC is converting the positions of area representatives to investigators, placing them in the Office of Investigations. Additionally, it will increase the number of investigators it has on staff. Investigators will now focus exclusively on enforcement activity and the public outreach function formerly handled by the area representative role will be handled by the Office of Consumer Affairs and Dispute Resolution Services as part of their broader public assistance work.
