Saturday Sep 12, 2026
Saturday Sep 12, 2026
Saturday, 12 September 2026 00:14 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
FMC Commissioner Robert J. Harvey
– Pic by Shehan Gunasekara
THE US Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) Commissioner Robert J. Harvey delivered a striking endorsement of Sri Lanka’s role in global trade, while laying out the aggressive enforcement posture his agency is taking against disruptions to American cargo worldwide and extending a direct, personal invitation for closer cooperation with the Sri Lankan Government.
Speaking during a panel discussion at the inauguration of International Maritime Conference 2026 in Colombo, he highlighted the growing importance of supply-chain resilience beyond the traditional focus on US ports and major international shipping routes.
“If our global supply chains had the resilience of the Sri Lankan people, we’d be in much better shape,” Harvey said.
Noting that American cargo doesn’t begin its journey when it reaches one of our ports, he pointed out that it often begins thousands of miles away, frequently in a place like Sri Lanka.
Harvey was candid about the scope of the FMC’s ongoing investigative work, even while declining to discuss specific cases.
He described chokepoints as a risk that can emerge at virtually any point in the shipping journey, “at the origin of cargo, along shipping routes, at the terminal on arrival, or after cargo leaves the terminal gates” and made clear his agency isn’t waiting passively for problems to surface.
“As a regulatory agency taking an increasingly assertive stance, we investigate any chokepoints that negatively impact American cargo, and we enforce where necessary,” he said.
That enforcement muscle, he explained, goes well beyond standard regulatory oversight. The FMC also holds quasi-judicial authority, with seven full-time administrative law judges adjudicating disputes and Harvey stressed that the agency operates entirely in the open.
“We operate transparently, so the results of our regulatory cases, fines, and the decisions we render in disputes between private parties are all publicly available,” he noted.
When asked directly how the Government of Sri Lanka could deepen its working relationship with the FMC, Harvey pointed to the very exchange taking place at the conference as a model to build on.
“I think we continue doing what we’ve started, this kind of exchange, where you visit us and we’re here in turn. It’s an exchange of ideas and approaches to enforcement. We’re happy to share that information; it’s publicly available, but we’re also glad to discuss it one-on-one,” he said.
Noting much of the Commission’s information is publicly available, Harvey said the agency was also prepared to discuss matters directly with counterparts. “We’ll work with anyone in the world to ensure American cargo isn’t negatively affected,” he said, “and anytime you want to reach out, you can call me or the Chair directly.”
