Pacific Coast European Conference v. Federal Maritime Commission (537 F.2d 333, 1976)

ALFRED T. GOODWIN, Circuit Judge:

The Pacific Coast European Conference (PCEC) petitions for relief from a cease- and-desist order of the Federal Maritime Commission entered under the Commission’s statutory authority to regulate transportation rates.

The controversy arises out of the sale of cotton in 1972 to a purchaser in Spain. Spanish law apparently required the purchaser to ship the cotton on Spanish vessels. The exporters accordingly sold the cotton f. o. b. a Pacific port and title passed to the purchaser who then caused the cargo to be shipped on a Spanish carrier.

The PCEC is a shipping “conference”. A “conference” of water carriers is a voluntary cartel regulated by the Commission, and because of that regulation