Trade and Compliance

The Jones Act has been in effect for nearly 100 years. Read about its pros and cons in this commentary by Darren Prokop.

The Commerce Department increases maximum penalty amounts for violations in accordance with the 2015 Federal Civil Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act.

U.S. enforcement agencies are turning up the heat on Chinese nationals who illicitly obtain and attempt to smuggle American-made technologies back to China.

International trade and customs attorney Zhaokang Jiang explains how China is aiming to improve cross-border trade efficiency, create fair competition and ensure compliance and sustainable growth.

Customs and Border Protection moved the nationwide tests to early April and October “due to limited availability of testing sites and to ensure the integrity of exam conditions.”

The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security will expand export licensing requirements for technologies intended for military applications.

The Chinese government said the tariff reductions will help expand imports of key consumer products.

Darren Prokop writes about the complexities of international trade (imports and exports) and how transportation is measured in that mix.

Even a full U.S.-China trade deal might not stop shippers moving production out of China. But is the U.S. a realistic option?

The Senate is not expected to vote on the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement until early 2020.

The International Air Cargo Association is trying to unify the air cargo industry on common issues and practices through a new membership approach.

Aivars Lembergs resigned as chairman of Vetspils Freeport Authority on Dec. 10, the day after the U.S. sanctioned the port authority for its connection to the Latvian oligarch.

Food and Drug Administration cites need for lower prices and reduced out-of-pocket costs to U.S. patients.

Hopes that last week’s trade deal might boost the beleaguered shipping lane are overly optimistic, says analyst.

Darren Prokop writes about foreign trade zones and their impact on imports, exports and the economy.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control has added the son of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List.

U.S.-China deal should boost shipping stock sentiment, assuming investors believe it’ll stick.

When companies self-disclose wrongdoing to the Justice Department, “the benefits of their cooperation will be concrete and significant,” said Assistant Attorney General John Demers.

The U.K. is now almost certain to leave the European Union on Jan. 31. However, a no-deal Brexit remains a possibility.

The White House on Dec. 12 announced the private sector technology winners of its Opioid Detection Challenge.

The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control warns U.S. companies to exercise due diligence against entanglements with sanctioned transportation services providers.

Shuttering the World Trade Organization’s Appellate Body threatens the ability of countries to settle trade disputes, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce warns.

Americans for Free Trade spokesman Jonathan Gold said the White House needs to “finalize a deal with China to end the trade war and remove all tariffs.”

Rep. Richard Neal, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, calls USMCA “a triumph for workers across America.”

The agreement is hailed as “a critical step forward in our economic and security partnership.”

Office of Foreign Assets Control adds Try Pheap and 11 of his companies to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List.

The Commerce Department is expected to propose new rules that lower the U.S. content threshold for licensable reexports and when foreign-made products are subject to U.S. export controls.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said excluding ocean cargo from the Section 321 pilot program reduced “a substantial number of relevant shipments of potential participants.”

When it rains it pours and Boeing Co. could use an umbrella. Now the FAA is piling on with its own complaint against the airplane maker.

Agriculture shippers and forwarders work with CBP and Census in an effort to eliminate $5,000-$10,000 penalties for minor export data filing errors in the Automated Export System.

While Customs and Border Protection’s Automated Commercial Environment has automated much of the cross-border trade process, the U.S. export manifest process remains paper intensive and error prone.

CNBC trade expert and author Lori Ann LaRocco says if trade talks were really progressing, U.S. exports to China would be ticking up, not down.

A Solar Energy Industries Association study says U.S. tariffs on crystalline silicon solar cells have pushed solar panel prices in the U.S. 43-57% above the global average price.

Trade tensions look like they’ll get worse before they get better, a negative for ocean shipping demand.

The Treasury Department agency is closely monitoring vessel name changes used by Venezuelan and Cuban authorities to sidestep U.S. trade sanctions.

An Office of the U.S. Trade Representative investigation concludes that a French tax on digital services discriminates against U.S. companies, such as Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon.

Expert explains why shippers based in the U.S. and beyond should prepare urgently for the worst-case scenario – a no-deal Brexit in 2020.

A U.S. man living in Singapore illegally presented technical information at the Pyongyang Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Conference in April on how North Korea can use blockchain technology to evade sanctions.

Dow Jones Risk & Compliance has 24/7 monitoring and dedicated researchers to track and build detailed profiles of individuals and entities that are subject to economic sanctions.

President Trump cited currency manipulation as the reason to reimpose tariffs on imports from the two South American countries.

Maritime, air and overland trade routes into Europe are being piggybacked by criminal gangs deploying the latest digital supply chain technologies to help meet mushrooming demand for illegal drugs across […]

Dry bulk ship operator Malaysian Bulk Carriers has reported another set of losses. Barring unexpected positive developments, it may make a yearly loss. It is also reducing both long-term and current assets. The company has entered into working capital deficiency.

Courier, domestic and international logistics company GD Express reported a slowdown in total comprehensive income in its latest quarterly results. The company generated increased revenues but increased costs too. Profits shrank.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control places subsidiary to Cuban state-run oil shipper, Corporacion Panamericana, on blacklist for circumventing sanctions against Venezuela’s oil sector.

A proposed rule calls for the Commerce Department to determine whether certain technologies pose a threat to U.S. national security and prohibit those trade transactions.

Shipments of counterfeit driver’s licenses and blank card stock were discovered and seized by Customs and Border Protection officers at Louisville and Memphis mail facilities.

Animal rights groups call for the European Commission to ban the live transport of animals following the Black Sea tragedy.

For two years the software company’s sanctions screening failed to detect a Slovenian app store developer and its owner who were placed on the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List.

Mark Lambert, who served as co-president of nuclear materials transport specialist TLI, will be sentenced by the District Court of Maryland on March 9, 2020.

Trucking and trade bodies are outraged by the ongoing tactics of container terminal operators to frequently hike already huge fees on trucks. Lobbying of government ministers is underway and even port operators are disappointed at the ongoing tactics of terminal operators.

Port of Los Angeles Executive Gene Seroka cautioned the port’s Board of Harbor Commissioners that even if a trade deal is reached with China, it may take months or years […]

While most license applications related to the Chinese telecom are expected to be denied, news reports surface that some U.S. companies have started receiving approvals from the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The agreement, which takes effect Jan. 1, will guarantee the import of 132,304 metric tons of U.S.-grown rice, valued at $110 million.

U.S. export compliance advisers recommend exporters be realistic in their expectations with regard to the department’s license approval process for the blacklisted Chinese telecom.

The National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America picks Whitmer & Worrall after longtime Capitol Hill representative Jon Kent announced his retirement in September.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said optical lenses manufacturer Satisloh used false descriptions, tariff classifications and duty rates on its import entries for certain machinery and parts.

The department’s extension of the temporary general license gives U.S. companies another 90 days to continue their business activities with the Chinese telecom.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the enhancements, to be rolled out over three phases through the rest of this year and 2020, pave the way to retiring legacy truck manifest application.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection will use the industry’s comments to refine its Section 321 E-Commerce Data Pilot.

In cargo transportation, there is a distinction between screening and inspection.

U.S. poultry producers eye more than $1 billion market potential for China after being shut out for five years.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Philadelphia discovered the counterfeit rings potentially valued at $562,000, if genuine, in an express shipment manifested as a “box” valued at $14.

Maersk, MSC, Hapag-Lloyd and COSCO will be the main market share “losers”, says Alphaliner.

Boston’s freight move thru New York? No suh, because the Hub is best served by its own.

It’s a largely good set of third-quarter results for the Philippines-based but globally operating container terminal operator ICTSI. “Strong financial performance,” says President and Chairman Enrique K. Razon. On a nine-month basis, the growth surge is pronounced.

Risks based on cargo moving through Los Angeles/Long Beach ports

Climate change, electric vehicles, alternative power, terrorism, and regional political conflict are significant risks to Saudi Aramco’s business, according to the company’s initial public offering prospectus.

A Miami-based customs broker specializing in perishable imports will benefit from access to agency officers for after-hours inspections through the Reimbursable Services Program.

The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control assessed $210,600 civil penalty against Apollo Aviation Group for violating the Sudanese Sanctions Regulations.

Lori Ann LaRocco’s new book chronicles the tariff war and tracks its impact through trade flows.

Growth from last year’s front loading makes for tough comps, as trade war upsets seasonal patterns.

Between February 2018 and September 2019, U.S. consumers and businesses spent an additional $38 billion on products due to tariffs on Chinese goods, Tariffs Hurt the Heartland said.

The NCBFAA, which represents the customs brokerage industry, has become increasingly upset with the management at the Customs and Border Protection-contracted test sites and the way applicants are treated.

False submission of shipment information in the U.S. government’s Automated Export System helps sink scheme to smuggle military-style inflatable boats and engines to China, according to officials.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the ports keep watch for untreated wood packaging in cargo shipments to prevent the spread of wood-boring pests.

Commerce secretary says talks on foreign automaker investment in the U.S. may again delay imposition of tariffs on imported vehicles.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said importers of tobacco from the southeast African country must demonstrate the goods are not in violation for clearance.

The U.S. Justice Department said Peter Sotis, former owner of Florida-based Add Helium, is accused of smuggling rebreather equipment without an export license to the war-torn country.

Ben Thrower writes about the importance of American agriculture – not just to the U.S. population, but to the country’s trade negotiations.

The PACT Act closely mirrors the unsuccessful Graham-Van Hollen Turkey Sanctions Bill in the Senate.

Ocean shipping along the coast of Oman, in the Middle East and throughout the Arabian Sea, is being disrupted by Cyclone Kyarr – the most powerful storm ever in that sea-space. However, local sources advise that shipping through a globally critical oil chokepoint, the Strait of Hormuz, is unaffected.

Read what Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport is doing to stay relevant and its importance to U.S.-international trade.

Growing source of U.S. containerized goods imposes navigation restrictions due to sunken boxship.

The U.K. was scheduled to leave the EU on October 31, but now has until January 31, 2020 to get a deal approved by Parliament.

Forager, a Chicago-based cross-border freight brokerage, announced the official launch of its new technology, SCOUT.  The instant pricing and booking technology brings on-demand pricing and capacity to the United States-Mexico-Canada […]

Engines in Australian trucks may have been modified to allow them to break speed limits. Australian police have been reading premises across the country. In other Down Under News: APE eats up AHG; new boss for Orcoda; mobile phone driving surveillance laws; broken bridges; accident black spots; corporate debt.

“This new humanitarian mechanism will help international companies that seek to engage in permissible humanitarian trade with Iran to ensure that they do not run afoul of sanctions,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said.

Canadian national Alexis Vlachos, who was sentenced to prison last September, will not be able to export or receive anything from the U.S. for the next seven years, the U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security said.

Global logistics software developer WiseTech (ASX: WTC) has come under renewed attack from investment advisor company J Capital. WiseTech continues to reject all claims of impropriety and asserts J Capital is simply “wrong.”

The U.S. Department of Commerce has opened an inquiry into whether companies are circumventing anti-dumping and countervailing duty orders on steel rebar from Mexico by bending the product “at one […]

Lost in the US-China’s trade war’s impact on imports is the devastating effect on US exports

The world’s second-largest 3PL does not expect a rebound in air cargo markets until the second half of 2020.

Battery Council International, which represents U.S. lead acid battery manufacturers, praised the removal of the potentially unsafe products from the supply chain.

The Trump administration said the Turkish government satisfied the five-day ceasefire commitment in northern Syria.

The Southern African country’s political leadership established the national holiday to protest longtime U.S. economic sanctions.

The need for dual-hub European logistics systems as Brexit looms is one reason the Hong Kong-based supply chain specialist is building a new hub.

Toy maker Hasbro reported lower third-quarter earnings, citing tariffs on Chinese products and higher supply chain costs.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control policy, which focuses on financial ownership of sanctioned individuals or entities, bedevils U.S. companies with sophisticated compliance programs.

The Trump administration said it is taking this latest regulatory action to further restrict the Cuban government’s efforts to support Venezuela’s Maduro regime.

The last couple of days took a dramatic turn with U.S. short seller J Capital making explosive allegations that global logistics software behemoth, WiseTech – a A$9 billion (US$6.2 billion) company, has been seriously misleading investors. WiseTech has robustly denied these claims. In other news: CTI Logistics annual results; truck rest stops “desperately needed”.