CBP Miami announced a free Steel Identification, Classification and Trade Law seminar May 14-15 at the Cargo Clearance Center at Miami International Airport. The seminar will be presented by technical, commercial and legal experts in the steel industry and will “enhance the knowledge level of steel importations” for CBP officials, other U.S. government officials and customhouse brokers. CBP said the seminar has been revised "significantly" since previous seminars, and now includes material on fraud, circumvention, and evasion. CBP encourages participants to register early due to limited space, via e-mail at lrmosser@windstream.net or via fax by April 21.
Customs Rulings Online Search System (CROSS) was updated Feb. 18 with 162 rulings, bringing the total number of searchable rulings to 180,723. The most recent ruling is dated 02/12/2014.
CBP again reminded brokers and importers in a CSMS message that all imports of steel mill products need a steel import license for each entry. "During the government shutdown in October 2013, the U.S. Department of Commerce temporarily stopped issuing entry specific steel license numbers on imports of steel mill products, and permitted importers to use two non-entry specific steel license numbers on entry summaries," said CBP. "Those two temporary steel license numbers were only valid for use from October 1 -- 16, 2013 and not beyond. It has come to our attention that some Customs brokers and importers are incorrectly continuing to use the temporary steel license numbers on entry summaries for imports of steel mill products. This practice must cease immediately." The steel import license number obtained for each shipment needs to be reported on the corresponding entry summary, the agency said. Steel import licenses come from the Department of Commerce International Trade Administration.
CBP issued its Feb. 19 Customs Bulletin (Vol. 48, No. 7), which contains the following ruling actions:
A listing of recent antidumping and countervailing duty messages from the Commerce Department posted to CBP's website Feb. 14, along with the case number(s) and CBP message number, is provided below. The messages are available by searching for the listed CBP message number at addcvd.cbp.gov. (CBP occasionally adds backdated messages without otherwise indicating which message was added. ITT will include a message date in parentheses in such cases.)
CBP posted its draft agenda and other documents for the upcoming Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of Customs and Border Protection (COAC) meeting on Feb. 20, which include the "foundational principles required to position the U.S. government to efficiently manage strategic cross border issues in a manner that reduces the cost of doing business" related to exports. Other documents include draft recommendations, and other documents on trade modernization, the global supply chain, trade enforcement and other topics. The draft agenda is (here). The principles for a "One U.S. Government at the Border Cooperation for Exports" is (here).
A listing of recent antidumping and countervailing duty messages from the Commerce Department posted to CBP's website Feb. 13, along with the case number(s) and CBP message number, is provided below. The messages are available by searching for the listed CBP message number at addcvd.cbp.gov. (CBP occasionally adds backdated messages without otherwise indicating which message was added. ITT will include a message date in parentheses in such cases.)
CBP highlighted the information sharing efforts at the Port of Antwerp in Belgium as a cargo security best practice in a Feb. 12 Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) bulletin. "Businesses operating at the Port of Antwerp are now able to participate in a program that facilitates the exchange of information about cargo-related crime between companies and authorities," it said. "The system, known as the Neighborhood Information Network (BIN), allows companies to submit anonymous tips about suspicious activity in the port area, which police then disseminates to other companies participating in the program. Approximately 650 companies were asked to join the program and 451 are now participating in the project."
Cut flower shipments will be required to include the stems count for each type of flower and air waybill in an "electronic sampling breakdown sheet" given to CBP Miami International Airport Agriculture Air Cargo Inspections Unit, said CBP Miami in an information bulletin. The new requirement is effective Feb. 17, it said.
A listing of recent antidumping and countervailing duty messages from the Commerce Department posted to CBP's website Feb. 12, along with the case number(s) and CBP message number, is provided below. The messages are available by searching for the listed CBP message number at addcvd.cbp.gov. (CBP occasionally adds backdated messages without otherwise indicating which message was added. ITT will include a message date in parentheses in such cases.)