The Houthis, an Iranian-backed militia group, recently announced their intention to target commercial ships in retaliation for Israel’s actions in Gaza. These mounting attacks on shipping vessels in the Red Sea are disrupting trade through the Suez Canal with several vessels being attacked over the weekend, leaving no choice but to turn around and retreat […]

With the new year quickly approaching, we would like to remind you that numerous section 301 exclusions are set to expire on January 1st, 2024; this means that importers may be subject to additional duties on their products as soon as next month. This list contains over 300 exclusions for various products as well as […]

Groups like the Iran-backed Houthi movement continue to escalate attacks near the Suez Canal, recently firing two missiles at the USS Mason. This is rumored to have occurred after the USS Mason helped free a hijacked cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden. Due to these attacks, several carriers have announced they are rerouting cargo […]

The trade community is bracing for impact should the U.S. government shut down on October 1st. This week, the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America (NCBFAA) issued a joint statement on behalf of 40 other trade associations petitioning that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and other Partner Government Agencies (PGAs) strategically collaborate […]

The Office of U.S. Trade Representative, USTR, previously announced that multiple Section 301 tariff exclusions would remain in effect until September. Yesterday the USTR announced that they will extend existing China 301 tariff exclusions until December 31st, 2023. There are two main sets of exclusions: one set of 77 COVID-related exclusions and another set of […]

In accordance with 19 CFR 24.22, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) must annually determine whether the fees and limitations must be adjusted to reflect inflation. For Fiscal Year 2024, CBP is making the following changes to user fees established by the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA). These fees are effective October 1, 2024. […]

After resuming strikes in British Columbia yesterday, ILWU workers are once again back at work today (July 20th) after a ruling from the Canada Industrial Relations Board ordered dockworkers back for failing to provide a 72-hour strike notice. The ILWU is expected to resume its strike on Saturday, July 22nd. Shapiro will continue to monitor […]

Last week, Canada’s Minister of Labour, Seamus O’Regan, and Minister of Transport, Omar Alghabra, issued a joint statement advising that the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) had accepted a joint deal with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU). However, the leadership of the ILWU has now suggested that their members vote the recommended terms down. The leadership cited […]

Dock workers at ports along the Pacific Coast of Canada have accepted a tentative wage deal on Thursday, July 13th to end strikes at the country’s busiest ports. This news comes after The British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) released a statement about the agreement earlier today.   The strike primarily affected the Port of Vancouver […]

The Canadian International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) has given notice for a strike to commence at 8am on July 1, 2023. Negotiations between ownership, the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA), and the ILWU are being moderated by Canada’s Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS), but it remains unclear if any early progress has […]

Last night, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) revealed they had finally reached a tentative contract agreement after 13 long months of tumultuous and turbulent negotiations. According to the announcement, both sides have informally agreed to a six-year contract that covers all 29 West Coast ports. Although the […]

Several West Coast ports were closed without notice on Friday, June 2 in response to ongoing wage disputes between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA). Additionally, Total Terminals International (TTI) has cancelled all gates today (Monday, June 5). At this time, this is a fluid situation, and it […]

An insufficient number of International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 13 crane operators and top handler drivers reported for work at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach as of 5:00 PM Pacific Standard Time (PST) on Thursday, April 6, 2023. Any ILWU workers that did report for their shift as scheduled were […]

Nothing like waiting until the last minute…! Importers seeking refunds based on Craft Beverage Modernization Act (CBMA) tax benefits assigned to them by foreign producers may now access the CBMA Importer Claims System; the portal is available on myTTB. Importers may file claims for refunds based on entries made during the first calendar quarter of 2023.  […]

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced that the new requirements for reporting the countries of smelt and cast for imports of aluminum and aluminum derivative products have been delayed by 30 days. The requirements were originally scheduled to go into effect on April 10, 2023, but will instead go into effect on May 10, […]

The Court of International Trade (CIT) released an initial ruling in 2022 that indicated that the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) did in fact have the authority to impose Section 301 tariffs on Chinese goods. After careful deliberation, the CIT has determined that these duties placed on Chinese goods were appropriately implemented and supported. Some of […]

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has started to actively enforce its requirements for facilities to have a valid Food Facility Registration (FFR) and for facilities to provide a valid Unique Facility Finder (UFI)—also known as a DUNS number—when renewing their registration. Enforcement of these requirements officially commenced on January 1, 2023; however, the […]

With consideration to the production capacity of the United States, and the country’s continuing efforts to combat COVID, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced that it would extend Section 301 tariff exclusions on 81 medical products used to treat COVID-19 until May 15, 2023.  These exclusions were formerly scheduled to expire on February 28, […]

As you are aware, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently posted updated information about the upcoming Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) Region Alert—which is a new ACE enhancement scheduled to go live on March 18, 2023. The UFLPA Region Alert will add new validations to ACE in specific applications, which means: What does an importer […]

As you may already be aware, in November 2022, the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) announced that it would extend Section 301 tariff exclusions on medical products used to treat COVID-19 for an additional 90 days. With the exclusions set to expire on February 28th, the USTR announced they are seeking public comments […]