Louis Sola announces he will step down as FMC chief

US Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) chair Louis Sola has announced he is stepping down after more than seven years with the FMC, but having served fewer than six months in the top job.

On the FMC website, Mr Sola said that 30 June marked a conclusion to his time as chair, describing his tenure as the “honour of a lifetime”, and repeatedly thanking President Trump for appointing him as the FMC’s international shipping regulator in 2018.

“I entered this role with clear objectives: to strengthen American competitiveness, protect our ports and supply chain from foreign influence, and bring lasting accountability to the global shipping system,” he said.

“On 20 January 2025, just hours after his second inauguration, President Trump named me chair. I am sincerely grateful for the trust he placed in me and for his steadfast commitment to the America First agenda.”

Given Mr Sola’s short stint in the top job, reports have suggested his departure is indicative of disquiet behind the scenes, but he told reporters his original five-year term with the FMC included two ‘carry-over’ years in the event he was not re-nominated by then president Biden.

The carry-over years ended at the start of July, with Mr Sola saying his departure “was always planned this way”.

His replacement has yet to be named, but whoever does takes over in a moment of transition for US shipping, with the Trump administration keen to bring shipping jobs – and shipbuilding – back to the country, with a wave of new policies aiming to achieve this.

Among these are a series of port fees geared towards penalising Chinese operators and China-built ships.

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