NEW ORLEANS -- The time may be coming soon to incorporate exporter priorities in upcoming customs modernization legislation, including provisions addressing clerical errors, as CBP and the Census Bureau also work to include language on clerical errors in penalty mitigation guidelines, CBP officials said during a panel discussion April 26.
NEW ORLEANS -- Charge complaints before the Federal Maritime Commission are increasingly trending toward significant settlements or awards, industry officials said, urging shippers to file complaints if they believe they’re facing unfair carrier practices. Carriers are choosing to settle rather than draw the FMC’s attention, they said, especially for complaints involving demurrage or detention fees.
NEW ORLEANS -- The National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America is preparing to ask Congress to allow the Federal Maritime Commission to exercise jurisdiction over certain rail storage fees. NCBFAA is drafting a letter to Reps. John Garamendi, D-Calif., and Dusty Johnson, R-S.D. -- the two House authors of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act -- that could ask the lawmakers to require the FMC to more forcefully regulate rail-assessed demurrage fees charged on ocean containers traveling inland.
NEW OREANS -- The Census Bureau and the State Department are working on a change that would require exporters to submit additional information in the Automated Export System when shipping items controlled under U.S. Munitions List Category XXI, said Omari Wooden, Census’ assistant division chief for trade outreach and regulations. Wooden said the change will be outlined in a proposed rule and could eventually lead to a fatal error in AES if not followed.
NEW ORLEANS -- The Bureau of Industry and Security is working with CBP to try to speed up reviews of exports that may be subject to the October China chip controls (see 2210070049), said Teresa Telesco, a BIS official. Telesco, speaking April 25 during the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America’s annual conference, urged freight forwarders and other parties handling exports to take steps to make sure their semiconductor-related shipments aren’t being delayed, including by having technical information “on hand” to show CBP agents.
CBP should implement a “standardized national process” for vehicle exports across U.S. ports, said Brian Barber, vice president of U.S. brokerage operations and government affairs at Willson International. Barber, speaking this week during CBP’s Trade Facilitation and Cargo Security Summit, said a more streamlined process could help brokers keep track of various vehicle export procedures.
The U.S. this week warned ship owners and service providers of new “deceptive practices” being used by Russia to evade the oil price cap, particularly for oil exported through the Eastern Siberia Pacific Ocean (ESPO) pipeline and ports on the eastern coast of Russia. Shippers, traders and others should watch for several red flags to avoid helping Russia evade the cap, the Office of Foreign Assets Control said in an April 17 alert.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned five individuals in China and Guatemala as well as two Chinese entities for supplying Mexican drug cartels with precursor chemicals for illegal fentanyl production, OFAC said in a news release last week.
The U.S. this week announced new Russia-related trade restrictions, adding 28 entities to the Commerce Department’s Entity List and more than 100 entries to the Treasury Department’s Specially Designated Nationals List. The measures target people and companies either operating in Russia, aiding the country’s war against Ukraine or helping Moscow evade sanctions.
The U.S. this week sanctioned Genesis Market, one of the world’s “largest illicit marketplaces,” for illegally selling stolen data, including usernames and passwords. The marketplace is “believed” to be based in Russia, the Office of Foreign Assets Control said, where it operates as one of the “most prominent brokers of stolen credentials and other sensitive information,” including information from U.S. and international companies. Cybercriminals also have used Genesis Market to target the U.S. government, OFAC said.