A common carrier, marine terminal operator, or ocean freight forwarder, either alone or in conjunction with any other person, directly or indirectly, may not knowingly disclose, offer, solicit, or receive any information concerning the nature, kind, quantity, destination, consignee, or routing of any property tendered or delivered to a common carrier, without the consent of the shipper or consignee, if the information—

(1) may be used to the detriment or prejudice of the shipper, the consignee, or any common carrier; or

(2) may improperly disclose its business transaction to a competitor.

Subsection (a) does not prevent providing the information—

(1) in response to legal process;

(2) to the Federal Maritime Commission or an agency of the United States Government; or

(3) to an independent neutral body operating within the scope of its authority to fulfill the policing obligations of the parties to an agreement effective under this part.

An ocean common carrier that is a party to a conference agreement approved under this part, a receiver, trustee, lessee, agent, or employee of the carrier, or any other person authorized by the carrier to receive information—

may give information to the conference or any person or agency designated by the conference, for the purpose of—

(A) determining whether a shipper or consignee has breached an agreement with the conference or its member lines;

(B) determining whether a member of the conference has breached the conference agreement; or

(C) compiling statistics of cargo movement; and

(2) may not prevent the conference or its designee from soliciting or receiving information for any of those purposes.

(Pub. L. 109–304, § 7, Oct. 6, 2006, 120 Stat. 1540.)