FDA is currently experiencing outages across many applications, which prevents the processing of entries. The technical team is currently investigating. As a result, FDA’s Division of Food Defense Targeting will be operating under the prior notice scenario 2 contingency. These issues will prevent submitters who file via Automated Broker Interface (ABI) from receiving Prior Notice […]

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a final rule regarding the importation of Chemical Substances and Mixtures Subject to EPA’s Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA), eliminating the old TSCA Blanket Certification process. While the original effective date was temporarily postponed, CBP has announced an implementation deadline of March 20, 2017. The new ruling will […]

The Journal of Commerce’s 17th Annual Trans-Pacific Maritime (TPM) Conference opening session tensed as Harold Daggett, the International Longshoreman’s Association president, strongly urged its members “not to engage in any work stoppage or any other violations of our current master contract.”  The active master contract contains a no-strike clause to prevent work stoppages that could […]

Shapiro is excited to announce that our Charleston office will be relocating on Monday, March 13, 2017.  The office will remain open for standard business hours on Friday, March 10 and will close promptly at 5:00 p.m. EST.  Phone calls and emails will be monitored for any urgent inquiries. So, where’s the new office? 115 Central Island […]

As the new year comes in, so do new regulations form U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding the importation of Chemical Substances and Mixtures Subject to EPA’s Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA). CBP issued a final rule in the Federal Register on December 27, 2016 eliminating the old TSCA […]

This afternoon, Shapiro received notice that Amazon fulfillment has begun rejecting new FBA Seller inventory from its fulfillment program.  The message advised Sellers that Amazon will be implementing restrictions “to ensure we have the capacity necessary to receive, store inventory, and ship to customers quickly.” If you require additional information about alternative fulfillment warehousing, please […]

As Hurricane Matthew threatens the southeastern United States, the Governor of South Carolina, Nikki Haley, ordered an evacuation of coastal areas. Due to the evacuation, our Charleston office will be closed on Thursday, October 6th, 2016 and Friday, October 7th, 2016. Charleston employees will be working remotely to handle any urgent matters, but we thank you […]

Hanjin Shipping lines is now facing a new challenge as it continues operations of loaded vessels en route to final destination. Although it seemed the issue of stranded Hanjin ships and cargo may be tapering to an end with the release of funds to pay terminal handling and unloading fees, a new problem has arisen […]

Scenario 1: Vessel Diverted to Foreign Port and Discharged: A Hanjin vessel does not arrive in the intended U.S. port and diverts to a foreign port to discharge freight. The manifest and Importer Security Filing (ISF) must be deleted. All bills of lading need to be deleted (not cancelled) Entries and entry summaries need to […]

The world’s seventh-largest container line, Hanjin Shipping, sent shockwaves throughout the industry as it filed for and was placed under court protection on Wednesday, August 31.   After a liquidity plan fell short and was rejected by the Korea Development Bank, Hanjin applied for receivership, which, once granted, will allow the company to ‘wind down’ under […]

Recent news out of South Korea suggests that Hanjin Shipping Company has lost the support of its creditor banks and may be headed for bankruptcy. The news, as reported by the Journal of Commerce, has prompted the Korean Exchange to halt trading in Hanjin shares as it looks for further clarification from the Hanjin Group. […]

On August 5th, the U.S. was added to the Chinese government’s list of Zika infected countries as a result of the localized outbreak in South Florida. The news of the inclusion of the U.S. on this list has been followed by a significant amount of confusion and vagueness concerning what the effects that this news […]

As we approach the July 1st implementation date for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention Amendments, Shapiro wants to remind our valued export customers of the upcoming changes to the export process, particularly in regards to the determination of the Verified Gross Mass, or VGM. On July 1st, the VGM will need to be […]

Customs & Border Protection (CBP) at U.S. ports is no longer required to send requests for liquidated damages (LD) to its Headquarters for approval. Non-compliant Importer Security Filings can result in cargo holds at the port instead of, or in addition to, liquidated damage claims. Additionally, liquidated damage claims against importer bonds will no longer […]

Shapiro is fully programmed for all FDA filings and has been actively filing FDA though ACE for many months.   Under the ACE platform FDA is requiring additional, and in many cases new information, to be submitted in import entries.  Specifically all entries for FDA Food, Cosmetics and Medical Devices are affected. Below is a list […]

As of June 16, CBP will require filing in ACE of FDA entries and entry summaries under entry types 01, 03, 06, 11, 23, 51 and 52. CBP boldly stated that the Automated Commercial System (ACS) “will no longer be a CBP-authorized [electronic system] for purposes of processing these electronic filings.” While the agency concedes […]

On Wednesday, February 24, 2016, President Obama signed into law the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 (H.R. 644).  The comprehensive authorization is the first overhaul of the United States Customs and Border Protection Agency (CBP) since 2003.  The bipartisan legislation seeks to strengthen trade enforcement at ports, to fortify detection of duty […]

While U.S. exporters have voiced serious concerns over the feasibility of complying with the SOLAS Verified Gross Mass (VGM) mandate by the implementation deadline, it has now been revealed that the Coast Guard could choose to delay implementation of the mandate for up to a year provided the delay is announced prior to the July […]

On Thursday, February 11th, the U.S. Senate passed the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 (H.R. 644), the first overhaul of the United States’ Customs and Border Protection Agency in over 15 years. The legislation will give teeth to programs protecting U.S. businesses from unfair trade practices and rampant ‘trade cheats.’ The bill […]

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has been actively tracking and assessing stakeholder readiness for the mandatory filing of all electronic entries and corresponding entry summaries in the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE). While significant progress has been made, continued concerns about stakeholder readiness have necessitated an updated timeline for the mandatory transition to ACE for electronic […]