If there is anyone in Washington D.C. who has a long view of U.S. shipping law and regulation, it’s Carl Bentzel. While working as a senior Senate committee staffer, Commissioner Bentzel played a key role crafting the Maritime Security Act of 1996, the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 1998, and, after the 9/11 attacks, the requirements mandated for maritime security through the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002. He has seen the trajectory of the U.S. maritime landscape from one dominated by U.S.-flag carriers including Sea-Land and APL to today’s environment where shippers are ascendant and dominating the terms of political debate in ways that will have a lasting impact on the industry. In a historic moment for U.S. shipping law and policymaking, with Congress likely to enact a new Ocean Shipping Reform Act and with new ideas such as data and information seen as a possible solution to improving cargo flows, Commissioner Bentzel will put these into perspective in conversation with JOC Senior Technology Editor Eric Johnson.
