Renewal of Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Requested; Ocean Transportation Intermediaries; 3072-0018

Issuing agencies

Abstract

The Federal Maritime Commission (Commission or FMC) is giving public notice that the agency has submitted the continuing information collection listed below in this notice to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval extension, with revision, for Collection of Information 3072-0018 (Ocean Transportation Intermediaries). The public is invited to comment on this information collection pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 210 (Monday, November 2, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 210 (Monday, November 2, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68955-68957]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-22350]


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FEDERAL MARITIME COMMISSION

[FMC-2026-0298]


Renewal of Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission 
for OMB Review; Comment Requested; Ocean Transportation Intermediaries; 
3072-0018

AGENCY: Federal Maritime Commission.

ACTION: Notice and request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Maritime Commission (Commission or FMC) is giving 
public notice that the agency has submitted the continuing information 
collection listed below in this notice to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for approval extension, with revision, for Collection of 
Information 3072-0018 (Ocean Transportation Intermediaries). The public 
is invited to comment on this information collection pursuant to the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before December 2, 
2026.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be submitted to: (1) the Office of 
Management and Budget's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs 
through the portal at <a href="https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain">https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain</a>. Find 
this particular information collection at <a href="http://Reginfo.gov">Reginfo.gov</a> by selecting 
``Currently under Review--Open for Public Comments'' or by using the 
search function, and (2) the Commission through the Federal eRulemaking 
Portal at <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> (FMC-2026-0298). If your material cannot 
be submitted to the addresses above, contact the person in the FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this document for alternate 
instructions.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. India Wright, (202) 523-5787 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#dcbebfb09cbab1bff2bbb3aa"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="096b6a65496f646a276e667f">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Commission invites the general public 
and other Federal agencies to comment on any aspect of the continuing 
information collection listed in this notice, as required by the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). We are 
particularly interested in receiving comments on: (1) the necessity and 
utility of the proposed information collection for the proper 
performance of the agency's functions; (2) the accuracy of the 
estimated burden; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity 
of the information to be collected; and (4) the use of automated 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology to 
minimize the information collection burden.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be included or 
summarized in our request for OMB approval of the relevant information 
collection. All comments are part of the public record and subject to 
disclosure. Please do not include any confidential or inappropriate 
material in your comments.

Previous Request for Comments

    On August 11, 2026, the Commission published a notice and request 
for comment in the Federal Register (91 FR 51707, August 11, 2026) 
regarding the agency's request for approval from OMB for information 
collections as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of

[[Page 68956]]

1995. During the 60-day period, the Commission received comments from 
Kal[eacute] Info Solutions USA and FMC Compliance Services. Both 
comments support the updates to the collection, including the proposed 
modernization. Some recommendations (Trusted Data Exchange Through Port 
and Cargo Community Systems and Digital Trade Facilitation Pilot), 
while valuable, are currently outside the scope of 46 CFR 515 and would 
require expanded collection to support the recommendations adequately, 
increasing burden.

Information Collections Open for Comment

    Title: 46 CFR 515--Licensing, Financial Responsibility Requirements 
and General Duties for Ocean Transportation Intermediaries and Related 
Forms.
    OMB Control Number: 3072-0018 (Expires November 30, 2026).
    Form Numbers: FMC-18, FMC-48, FMC-48A, FMC-65, FMC-67, FMC-68, FMC-
69, FMC-69A.
    Abstract: Sections 40101-41309 of title 46 of the United States 
Code, as amended, provide that no person in the United States may 
advertise, hold oneself out, or act as an ocean transportation 
intermediary (OTI) unless that person holds a license issued by the 
Commission. The Commission shall issue an OTI license to any person 
that the Commission determines to be qualified by experience and 
character to act as an OTI. Further, no person may act as an OTI unless 
that person furnishes a bond, proof of insurance, or other surety in a 
form and amount determined by the Commission to insure financial 
responsibility. The Commission has implemented the legislative 
requirements in regulations contained in 46 CFR part 515, including in 
financial responsibility Forms FMC-48, FMC-67, FMC-68, and FMC-69, 
Optional Rider Forms FMC-48A and FMC-69A, its related license 
application Form FMC-18, and the related foreign-based unlicensed non-
vessel-operating common carriers (NVOCCs) registration/renewal Form 
FMC-65.
    Type of Review: Extension with change.
    Current Actions: There are no changes to the questions asked or the 
type of information collected. The FMC-18 will remain an electronic 
form. The current electronic Form FMC-18 is a legacy system that 
requires the use of Microsoft Internet Explorer. In 2022, Microsoft 
ended support for Internet Explorer and has since directed users to 
Microsoft Edge, which offers a built-in ``IE mode'' for legacy site 
compatibility but requires the end user to go through a lengthy and 
sometimes confusing process to enable the feature. The new FMC systems 
will be implemented utilizing Microsoft Entra ID (Microsoft Entra) and 
ServiceNow PSDS (ServiceNow). Microsoft Entra is used to securely 
create and manage ID logins and ServiceNow will be the platform through 
which the external user will submit the data collected. Both Microsoft 
Entra and ServiceNow will also allow the use of modern, Chromium-based 
browsers like Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Firefox, and Safari. Forms 
FMC-48, FMC-48A, FMC-65, FMC-69 and FMC-69A will be accessed through 
ServiceNow and primarily be submitted through the automated electronic 
system but will remain as PDF forms available on the Commission's 
website. Forms FMC-67 and FMC-68 will continue to be available on the 
Commission's website as PDF forms and continue to be accepted through 
email or mail. To further reduce the burden, on amendment applications 
for Form FMC-18, the form will auto populate with the entity 
information previously submitted and vetted to reduce the burden of 
data input and human error from the external user. This same auto 
populate information will be available to external users that submit 
Forms FMC-48, FMC-48A, FMC-69 and FMC-69A to reduce the human error 
commonly associated with the submission of those forms.
    Total estimated burden has been amended to reflect changes in 
Commission estimates.
    Needs and Uses: The Commission uses information obtained under part 
515 and through Form FMC-18 to determine the qualifications of OTIs and 
their compliance with 46 U.S.C. subtitle IV and FMC regulations, and to 
enable the Commission to discharge its duties under 46 U.S.C. subtitle 
IV by ensuring that OTIs maintain acceptable evidence of financial 
responsibility. If the collection of information were not conducted, 
there would be no basis upon which the Commission could determine if 
applicants are qualified for licensing. The Commission would also not 
be able to effectively assess the compliance of foreign-based, 
unlicensed NVOCCs without the required registration information.
    Frequency: Ad hoc basis. This information is collected when 
applicants apply for a license or submit a registration, complete the 
triennial renewal, or when existing licensees or registrants change 
their application forms.
    Type of Respondents: The types of respondents are persons desiring 
to obtain or maintain a license or registration to advertise, hold 
themselves out as, or act as an OTI. Under 46 U.S.C. subtitle IV, OTIs 
may be either an ocean freight forwarder, an NVOCC, or both.
    Number of Annual Respondents: The Commission estimates a potential 
annual respondent universe of 9,611 entities. Due to an increase in the 
number of OTIs, the inclusion of Form FMC-65 Change submissions and 
recordkeeping requirements, the Commission estimates the number of 
responses as 19,046. The distribution of responses is as follows: 360 
New FMC-18 filings; 280 FMC-18 Amendment filings; 1,780 OTI License 
Renewals; 6,406 FMC-48 and FMC-69 filings; 3 FMC-48A and FMC-69A 
filings, 744 FMC-65 registration filings; 1,531 FMC-65 Renewal filings; 
471 FMC-65 Organizational Change filings; and 9,611 recordkeeping 
requirements. The Commission does not anticipate receiving any filings 
of Forms FMC-67 or FMC-68 based on experience in recent years and so 
the estimate for these forms is zero. These forms are included in this 
renewal to remain available to respondents when applicable.
    Estimated Time per Response: The time per response to complete 
application Form FMC-18 New filings averages two (2) hours, Form FMC-18 
Amendment filings averages one (1) hour, and to complete the triennial 
renewal is ten (10) minutes. The time to complete a financial 
responsibility form (FMC-48, FMC-48A, FMC-69, or FMC-69A) is ten (10) 
minutes. The time to complete a financial responsibility form (FMC-67, 
FMC-68) averages 20 minutes. The time to complete Form FMC-65 to 
submit, renew or report changes to a registration as a foreign based, 
unlicensed NVOCC averages ten (10) minutes.
    Total Annual Burden: 720 person-hours (Form FMC-18, New) + 280 
person-hours (Form FMC-18, Amended/Change in Organization) + 302.63 
person-hours (OTI License Renewal) + 2,113.98 person-hours (Forms FMC-
48, 67, 68, 69) + 0.51 person-hours (Forms FMC-48A, 69A) + 126.48 
person-hours (Form FMC-65) + 260.27 (Form FMC-65 Renewal) + 80.07 (Form 
FMC-65, Organizational Changes) + 2,402.75 person-hours 
(Recordkeeping). Total burden equals 6,286.66 person-hours.


[[Page 68957]]


    For the Commission.
David Eng,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2026-22350 Filed 10-30-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6730-02-P


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