Dart Maritime Service, Inc. - Tariff Publishing Services

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Tariff Publishing Services

New Tariff Information and Forms

New U.S. Ocean Shipping regulations established on May 1, 1999, under the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 1998 (OSRA), require that any company providing ocean freight services as a "common carrier" in the foreign trade of the U.S. be licensed, bonded, and/or maintain an electronic tariff of published rates available for public inspection. A "common carrier" under U.S. Shipping law is defined as any "person or company that holds itself out to the general public to provide transportation by water of passengers or cargo between the U.S. and a foreign country for compensation." Common carriage liability for cargo transportation is determined by a company issuing it's own Bill of Lading to a shipper.

These new regulations apply to all organizations shipping cargo by water to or from U.S. Ports. Vessel operators (VOCCs) are exempted from the licensing and bonding requirements, but must maintain tariffs on-line for public inspection. Non-U.S. based NVOCCs are exempted from the licensing requirements, but must post a higher bond and utilize a bonded, licensed OTI to move cargo via U.S. Ports.

What needs to be done?

VOCCs

Complete our Letter of Authority and return with your pre-payment as per our price sheet. Current tariff pricing is available by e-mail or fax only. Request price schedule here and how you'd like it sent.

Download the Letter of Authority in .pdf or .doc format or New Tariff instructions in .pdf or .doc. If you don't have a .pdf reader, you can download it for free by clicking on the "get adobe reader" icon below!

U.S. NVOCCs

Secure a bond in the amount of $75,000.00 USD or other appropriate level (see summary below) and have same forwarded to the FMC by the bonding company. You must secure a separate bond for your NVOCC service even if you are a licensed Ocean Freight Forwarder (OFF). The bond must be filed with the FMC before the license application can be considered. Complete the OTI Application and forward to the FMC with the appropriate fees. Complete our Letter of Authority (L/A) and return with your pre-payment as per our price sheet and a copy of your bond. Current tariff pricing is available by e-mail or fax only. Request price schedule here and how you'd like it sent.

Non-U.S. NVOCCs

Secure a bond in the amount of $150,000.00 USD or other appropriate level (see summary below) and have same forwarded to the FMC by the bonding company. Complete our Letter of Authority (L/A) and return with your pre-payment as per our price sheet and a copy of your bond. Current tariff pricing is available by e-mail or fax only. Request price schedule here and how you'd like it sent.

Download documents in .pdf or .doc format. If you don't have a .pdf reader, you can download it for free by clicking on the "get adobe reader" icon below!

Download documents in Adobe pdf format. If you don't have a pdf reader, you can download it for free by clicking on the "get adobe reader" icon below!

Forms to download >

How long does all this take?

A new tariff takes 3-5 business days from the time of receipt of all the required documentation to become effective. If required, a new OTI license application can take up to 90 days to be approved by the FMC. New tariffs for U.S. OTIs can not be published until the license has been approved.

Tariff Publishing Services

We provide complete New Tariff creation, filing, web hosting and maintenance for companies operating as Common Carriers in the foreign commerce of the United States required to file public tariffs with the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) as per the Shipping Act of 1984 and publish tariffs as modified by the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 1998 (OSRA), effective May 1, 1999. Tariff requests are normally prepared and published on our website the same day we receive your request and made available in either hard copy, electronic page (.pdf) or data via our Apex® for Windows® retrieval service.

Looking for a new Tariff Publisher?

If you're interested in allowing Dart Maritime to represent you before the FMC as the Tariff Publisher of record or simply interested in a price quote for us to maintain your tariff, contact us for more information.

Need to contact the FMC?

The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) is the government agency responsible for the oversight and regulation of the international shipping industry. Visit their site to get information on Shipping Companies, apply for a Freight Forwarder license, review the Code of Federal Regulations, file a complaint or a host of other services, including a summary of the duties of each department and contact information. It's your tax dollars at work!

4121-B Rose Lake Dr., Charlotte, NC 28217
Phone (704) 357-6404, FAX (704) 357-6414
E-Mail info@dartmaritime.com