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) […]

The Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program is slated to expire on July 31, 2013. As of this writing, it appears unlikely that Congress will extend the legislation prior to the expiration date. With the upcoming Congressional summer recess, we may be facing another late renewal of GSP, albeit hopefully with retroactive status. We recommend […]

The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) have finally come to an agreement on a six-year contract for East and Gulf Coast dockworkers. This agreement is the culmination of nearly a year’s worth of difficult on-and-off negotiations between the two groups. The ILA’s wage scale committee recommended ratification by the […]

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has announced that they will begin full enforcement of the Importer Security Filing (ISF or 10+2) on July 9, 2013. To date, CBP has been applying a measured and commonsense approach to ISF enforcement. The existing liquidated damages provisions will be employed. While there may be multiple errors on […]

We would like to inform you about the current status of a labor strike at the Hong Kong International Terminals (HIT). HIT, which has a 70% market share in terms of port handling volumes, operates five terminals out of a total 9 berths (with 16 deep water ship berths) at the Kwai Chung Terminal Port […]