In a bid to ease congestion problems at US seaports over the long term the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) has begun a collaboration with dozens of players in the private sector.
The Supply Chain Innovation Team Initiative (SCITT) includes representatives of 34 companies all with a stake in seeing improvements to supply-chain blockages and slow-ups relating to the ports.
The port congestion problem is an ongoing one on both seaboards but it was most graphically highlighted by last year’s labour-related problems that ground things to a virtual halt at West Coast ports.
SCITT, led by FMC commissioner Rebecca Dye, will take the form of a two-day forum this week in Washington D.C. in which participants will work to develop process innovations to improve the resilience, reliability and competitiveness of the country’s supply chain.
The FMC is an independent federal agency that regulates ocean-going international transport in and out of the US.
