More than 100 government officials from over 25 countries met in Mexico City last week as part of the fourth meeting of the Semiconductor Informal Exchange Network (SIEN), discussing efforts to expand the semiconductor supply chain, the State Department said Feb. 21. Industry officials and academic leaders also used the meetings to speak about “challenges and opportunities” in the semiconductor sector, the agency said. The State Department said the countries involved in SIEN will hold a tabletop exercise later this year to “increase policymakers’ ability to address disruptions in the global semiconductor ecosystem.”
Maersk violated the Shipping Act by failing to keep its "automated tariff system" open for public inspection, shipper OL USA said in a complaint filed with the Federal Maritime Commission on Feb. 14. The shipper accused Maersk of being "deceptive" and its tariff platform of lacking "functionality," adding that it was "unable to verify Maersk’s representations regarding the substance of its tariffs."
The Federal Maritime Commission approved a confidential settlement between U.S. carrier Network Shipping and several produce importers and exporters, the agency said Feb. 20. The importers and exporters -- including Coast Citrus Distributors, which does business as Olympic Fruit & Vegetable; Amazon Produce Network; Refin Tropicals; JW Fresh; Sembríos De Exportación Sembriexport; and Bresson -- accused the carrier in August of failing to provide chassis for certain shipments, causing $2 million in damages and costs (see 2308070050).
The State Department approved the possible foreign military sale of "AIM-120C-8 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles" and related equipment to Italy for $69.3 million, the agency announced Feb. 15. The principal contractor will be RTX Corp.
The State Department has approved the possible foreign military sale of the small diameter bomb II and related equipment to Italy for $150 million, the department announced on Feb. 15. The principal contractor will be RTX Corporation.
The Treasury Department this week released its list of countries that require or may require participation in, or cooperation with, an international boycott. Listed are Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Yemen. The list is unchanged from the previous version (see 2308220067).
The Biden administration “strongly opposes” a House bill designed to counter its recent pause in pending decisions on liquefied natural gas exports, the White House said in a statement on Feb. 13. The statement came the same day the House Rules Committee voted to send the bill to the full House for its consideration.
The Defense Department is “carefully reviewing” a recently released congressional report that proposes changes to speed up the Foreign Military Sales process, a DOD spokesperson said Feb. 12.
President Joe Biden issued a memorandum requiring the State Department to obtain written assurances that recipients of U.S. foreign military aid will use those weapons in accordance with international humanitarian law.
Upcoming know-your-customer rules for U.S. cloud service providers come with a new set of compliance risks, with providers potentially facing lability not just from the Commerce Department but also from U.S. sanctions authorities, Sidley Austin said in a client alert this month.