Congestion at several critical Asian ports is disrupting shipping service, with berthing delays of at least a week as ships are forced to wait at anchor. The ports of Bangkok, Chittagong, Kolkata, and Shanghai are reported to be most affected, with increased container volumes, poor infrastructure and in some cases, bad weather all contributing to […]

Imports of all steel and aluminum articles from Canada, Mexico, and the member countries of the EU shall remain exempt from the additional duty established until 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on June 1, 2018. Steel: Imports of all steel articles from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, and South Korea* shall be exempt from the additional duty […]

The renewal of the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), which was signed by President Trump in late March, went into effect April 22, 2018. Importers should continue to flag GSP-eligible importations as SPI “A” and expected to pay normal duty rates until duty payments subsided on April 22nd. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will […]

Two unions at the Canadian Pacific Railway Limited (CP), representing over 3,300 workers, have given 72-hour notice for a strike that would commence on April 21, 2018 at 12:01am EDT. The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference – Train & Engine (TCRC) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) comprised of engineers, conductors, signal and communication […]

Heavy fog across the North China region is causing many ocean carriers in Shanghai and Ningbo to reschedule or delay sailings for several days or even weeks. Dense fog has been reported in the region for the past two to three weeks, making it difficult for shipping lines to maintain schedules and port operations.  Some […]

The renewal of the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), which was signed by President Trump in late March, will go into effect April 22, 2018. CBP will begin issuing GSP refunds on qualified goods shortly after the effective date, but will not offer any interest payments. Refund requests must be submitted prior to September 19, […]

The Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) was renewed in late March and CBP is giving importers the opportunity to receive refunds from overpayment of duties, taxes, and fees electronically via Automated Clearinghouse (ACH). If already signed up for ACH Refund, refunds will be automatically deposited into your bank account. If you are NOT signed up for […]

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) released a proposed list of tariffs covering 1,300 Chinese products with a combined value of $50 billion. “Sectors subject to the proposed tariffs include industries such as aerospace, information and communication technology, robotics, and machinery,” said the USTR in a news release. The tariffs, a result of […]

President Trump has just signed the Omnibus bill, which passed through the House and Senate earlier today. As a result, the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) will be renewed and all applicable stakeholders will receive retroactive benefits within the next 90 days. Earlier today the President expressed his concerns over signing the bill and heavily […]

The proposed renewal of the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) through December 31, 2020 is outlined in the Omnibus Spending Bill, which was released on Wednesday, March 21st. The 2,000 page bill has passed in both the House and Senate and now needs to be signed by President Trump. Under the Omnibus bill, GSP renewal […]

Following the recent announcement of additional tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, President Trump is now taking additional steps that could ignite a full-blown trade war with China by pushing for a hefty $50 billion in tariffs on imported Chinese goods. Trump’s concerns about the U.S.’s $375 billion trade deficit with China is fueling this […]

Due to the inclement weather, our New York office is closed today, March 21st. Employees will be working remotely until weather conditions improve. Our Baltimore and Dulles offices are open but with limited staff. Many employees will be working remotely to address all emails, but responses may be delayed. Shapiro will continue to monitor the […]

As we shared with you yesterday, as part of the U.S. response to China’s unfair trade practices related to the forced transfer of U.S. technology and intellectual property, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) published a proposed list of products imported from China that could be subject to additional tariffs. The United States […]

The U.S. Department of Commerce announced its procedures for excluding products from the recently announced tariffs on steel and aluminum product imports. As directed by President Trump, the Department published the procedures in the Federal Register and began accepting exclusion requests from U.S. industry today, Monday, March 19, 2018, at 8:45 AM. Click HERE to […]

To offset increasing costs and challenges in the drayage market, many ocean carriers are beginning to implement an Emergency Door Service (EDS) surcharge on door moves.  The new ELD mandate and equipment/driver shortages are causing significant delays, and as a result, carriers are levying a fee against shippers to cover such costs or even restricting […]

Under Presidential Proclamations issued on March 8, 2018: “Steel article” imports specified in the Annex shall be subject to an additional 25 percent ad valorem rate of duty with respect to goods entered, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on March 23, 2018.  This rate of duty, […]

According to The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, due to Winter Storm Quinn and weather conditions expected to deteriorate overnight, all NY/NJ container terminals will be CLOSED on Thursday, March 8, 2018. Several terminals have stated that normal operations will resume Friday morning. Shapiro will continue to monitor the situation closely and […]

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has discovered an error in the creation of liquidation courtesy notices. Some filers received notices with errors and others did not receive notices. CBP is delaying delivery of the corrected courtesy notices until next week. All corrected notices for this week and next week will be issued on the […]

In retaliation to President Trump’s tariffs on steel and aluminum imported from China, Beijing has now imposed additional tariffs on 128 food and beverage commodities imported from the U.S. The Chinese government will begin enforcing these extra tariffs on Monday, April 2nd. The tariffs will affect around $3 billion worth of U.S. products. 120 products […]

Domestic Rates are Increasing As Service Levels Decrease The new ELD mandate, a severe chassis shortage, port congestion due to mega vessels, and an exponentially decreasing pool of drivers have brought the transportation industry to the precipice of a crisis. Now more than ever, shippers need to know how this veritable “perfect storm” of events […]