Shapiro’s Atlanta and Charleston offices closed at 2:30 pm today due to worsening weather conditions.  Many employees will be working remotely and emails will be monitored for urgent issues. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in Charleston closed at 1 pm today and will not reopen until 1 pm tomorrow. We will advise if there is […]

According to a message posted on the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s website, most container terminal gates will close Thursday, January 2nd between 16:00 and 17:00 with all container terminal truck gates closed Friday, January 3rd due to the impending snow storm.  The most recent forecast shows snowfall accumulations of 6 – […]

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) opened online registration today at 12:00 pm ET for the 2014 East Coast Trade Symposium.  The event, originally postponed in October due to the government shutdown, will be held on March 6-7, at the Washington Hilton hotel in Washington, DC. This year’s theme for the symposium will be “Increasing Economic Competitiveness […]

U.S. Customs and Border Protection in JFK has announced a new date for the toys and festive articles seminar that was postponed in October due to the government shutdown. The new date will be Thursday, January 23, 2014 at the Main Conference Room, 2nd Floor, Building 77, JFK Airport. The seminar starts at 9:30 a.m. […]

As reported yesterday, truckers created a picket like to deter traffic from moving in or out of the Port of Oakland.  The Oakland Police Department was on site to uphold the temporary restraining order issued in order to maintain inbound and outbound deliveries.  The Port of Oakland Truckers Association points to demands for better pay […]

Port of Oakland Truckers Association are planning to walk off the job on Wednesday, Nov. 27th in spite of meeting with various port officials and local industry leaders, including Oakland Mayor Jean Quan. This work action, timed during the busy Thanksgiving holiday week, is expected to result in delays at the port for both inbound […]

Mumbai’s gateway port is operating at a fraction of its capacity due to continuing discord between port truckers and the port authorities for APM Terminal and Container Corp of India.  Negotiations have stalled after nearly a month of unproductive talks, and the port truckers are using slowdown techniques and no show days to draw attention […]

The P3 Network, a global alliance between the shipping industry’s three largest steamship lines (Maersk, MSC, CMA-CGM), has announced plans to include the Port of Baltimore for their new service which links Asia, the Middle East, the Med, and the US East Coast.  Early outlines and press releases had made no mention of Baltimore, causing […]

Port of Baltimore operations have partially resumed work Friday afternoon under the Master Agreement between the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the U.S. Maritime Alliance.  The agreement includes a no-strike provision for specified cargo that ILA Local No. 333 violated when it went on strike Wednesday, October 18th. Currently, the cargo being worked at the […]

After a shutdown that lasted over two weeks, the U.S. government reopened on Thursday October 17th.  Trade support offices are now open and websites that were previously suspended are now operational, including the Harmonized Tariff Schedule on the International Trade Commission’s site, which seemed to cause the most consternation. The International Trade Administration sent out […]

As reported yesterday, cargo is not moving out of Seagirt or Maryland International Terminals due to a strike by the International Longshoreman’s Association Local No. 333. The Maryland Port Authority issued the following official statement this morning: “The work stoppage continues.  Arbitration is scheduled for tomorrow between the Steamship Trade Association and labor.  We remain […]

A strike by the International Longshoreman’s Association Local No. 333 has impacted operations at the port of Baltimore. Cargo is not moving out of Seagirt Terminal or Maryland International Terminals. The Baltimore Sun broke the story interviewing Richard Scher, a Maryland Port Administration spokesman, who told the Sun, “This is just the beginning but all […]

U.S. Customs has announced the postponement of their East Coast Trade Symposium, previously scheduled for October 24-25, 2013, in Washington, D.C. They cited the protracted lapse in appropriations as significantly impacting their ability to prepare for and commit the resources necessary to hold the event as planned.  Customs is committed to hosting the event at […]

The JOC reported yesterday that Egypt has increased security along the Suez Canal after receiving threats that jihadists were planning attacks along the waterway according to United Press International.  It further stated that the army and police have beefed up their presence along the canal and tightened inspections. Security personnel have erected barbed wire and […]

The following is an update from various sources regarding the current government shutdown. U.S. Customs – CBP operations are proceeding as normal. Ports of entry are open and clearance of cargo is ongoing with minimal impact according to Customs. Cargo security and revenue functions will remain operational. The Customs broker licensing exam scheduled for Monday […]

The United States government shut down at midnight on September 30th. The services of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are not expected to be affected as they are considered essential. Cargo will continue to clear. U.S. Customs duties are the second largest source of revenue to the federal government. However, overtime services at the […]

Registration is now open for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Trade Symposium to be held October 24-25 at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, DC. Topics to be covered include ACE, interagency efforts with U.S. exports, air cargo advance screening, and partnership programs in trade enforcement. The symposium is a popular event, so don’t […]

The Generalized System of Preferences program expired July 31st despite efforts to pass legislation to extend the program to September 2015. Chances of renewal are slim at this point since Congress adjourns for its summer recess on August 2nd. They are not back in session until after Labor Day, so importers can expect to pay […]

As most of you know, the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program expired July 31, 2013. The average liquidation cycle is about 10 months, so entries made in August 2013 will be liquidating shortly. The question has come up if importers should start filing protests or requesting suspension of liquidation in order to preserve their […]

Re:  Speculation over China’s final implementation of Circular Caishui 37’s (“Circular 37”) 6% VAT and how it will be applied. Circular 37 is a proposed tax policy which includes VAT on the “transportation and modern services sector” and which was jointly issued by the Ministry of Finance (MOF) and the State Administration of Taxation (SAT) […]