Features Breakbulk & Project Cargo
Small remit, big impact
FMC investigations to bolster broader US maritime agenda
By Autumn Cafiero Giusti
The pieces are falling into place for the US Federal Maritime Commission( FMC) to advance a series of politically charged inquiries that could reshape global maritime policy and potentially disrupt the movements of breakbulk and project cargo shipments.
“ The Federal Maritime Commission has a narrow responsibility, but it can have a substantial impact on how goods are transported to and from the United States. It can materially affect trading activity,” Utsav Mathur, commodity trading and shipping partner with US law firm Norton Rose Fulbright, told the Journal of Commerce.
The FMC’ s inquiries to-date have focused on three key areas: Spain’ s denial of US-flagged defense shipments, constraints at international maritime chokepoints and conditions created by foreign flagging laws and so-called flags of convenience. The commission in December issued a call for public comment through Feb. 20 in an expansion of an investigation into instances of Spain blocking vessels delivering weapons and military equipment to Israel that began in late 2024.
“ The FMC has a narrow responsibility, but it can... materially affect trading activity.”
But of potentially greater consequence to global cargo movements are two investigations launched in 2025.
In March, the FMC issued a request for public comments about seven international maritime chokepoints it cited as a potential threat to US security and for having unfavorable trade conditions.
Writing in support of the investigation, the American Petroleum Institute( API), which represents all segments of the US oil and gas industry, a key source of breakbulk steel and industrial project cargo, said the effective operation of shipping infrastructure is vital to the country’ s role as a global energy superpower.
“ Addressing global maritime chokepoints will ensure ships can transit these areas to safely deliver oil, natural gas and their products reliably and cost-effectively,” Robin Rorick, API’ s vice president of midstream policy, said in a statement to the Journal of Commerce.
Then in May, the commission initiated an investigation
BBC Chartering has described the term flag of convenience as“ outdated” and“ derogatory.” BBC Chartering
16 Journal of Commerce | March 2026 www. joc. com