Doyle Reconfirmed as US Federal Maritime Commissioner
The United States Senate confirmed Coast Guard engineer and U.S. Merchant Marines veteran William P. Doyle to another term in office as a Federal Maritime Commissioner on the evening of March 23, 2015. The vote was a unanimous 89 in favor with no one in opposition.
Upon confirmation, Commissioner Doyle said, “I would like to thank President Obama for his confidence in me, and I would also like to thank the U.S. Senate for taking up my nomination today. I will continue the important work ahead of us at the Federal Maritime Commission.”
Mr. Doyle received a B.S. in marine engineering from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy and a J.D. from Widener University School of Law, and has spent his professional career in the transportation sector. He is a Coast Guard licensed engineer and served as an officer in the U.S. Merchant Marine, sailing commercially on vessels in the domestic and international trades for 10 years. From 2011 to 2013, the Commissioner served as the chief of staff for the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association (MEBA). From 2008 to 2011, Mr. Doyle was the Director of Permits, Scheduling, and Compliance at the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Alaska Natural Gas Transportation Projects.
The Commissioner has been focusing on matters related to port congestion. “I look forward to continuing to work helping to relieve port congestion,” stated Mr. Doyle. “We have a responsibility to the shipping public and consumers to make sure imports and exports move efficiently through the transportation chain. This means working collaboratively with ocean carriers, shippers, ocean transportation intermediaries, labor, equipment managers (chassis), marine terminal operators, ports, and truckers—everyone needs to pitch in. It’s all hands on deck.”
Internationally, Commissioner Doyle participates in bilateral shipping matters with other countries, and he represents the FMC at the annual U.S.-China Bilateral Maritime Consultations where he meets with officials from the People’s Republic of China regarding maritime shipping matters such as tax policies affecting U.S. interests in the U.S.-China trade. Last year Commissioner Doyle surveyed construction sites for the Panama Canal’s third set of locks. The Canal is a major transit point for FMC-regulated vessel operating common carriers and a critical component in international ocean-borne commerce to and from the U.S.
At the FMC, Commissioner Doyle has worked with his fellow Commissioners to adjudicate a backlog of cases filed with the Commission; the Commission now resolves over 90% of its cases within 24 months.