Scroggins floats trial balloons. (Federal Maritime Commission member Joe Scroggins)

Revives suggestions that FMC be allowed to see non-U.S. portions of carrier agreements. Others are skeptical.

A Federal Maritime Commission member, Joe Scroggins, has suggested that conferences be required to file the foreign components of their agreements with the FMC for information purposes only.

The idea was raised two years ago by William Hathaway before he retired as FMC chairman. Scroggins floated the proposal again in a recent speech to the Northern Kentucky International Trade Association, and elaborated on it in an interview.

Scroggins noted that the FMC now can see only the U.S. portion of conference agreements, and that this "provides a convenient excuse for carriers to omit certain information that it deems not to be within the commission's jurisdiction."

He added that he has heard of one case "where carriers submitted one agreement with …