PA. CHEMICAL SHIPPER FINED $150,000 FOR UNLICENSED EXPORTS
The U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Export Administration has imposed a $150,000 civil penalty on Houghton International Inc., a Valley Forge, Pa.-based manufacturer of specialty chemicals, for illegally exporting chemicals to South Korea.
The agency said the settlement resolves allegations that on 20 separate occasions Houghton International exported chemicals to South Korea without the required Commerce licenses. The shipments were made between August 1994 and August 1996.
Commerce controls the export of certain U.S.-origin chemicals as part of a multilateral agreement with 30 chemical producing countries, known as the Australia Group. Although the chemicals have commercial uses, they can also be used in the manufacture of chemical weapons.
The Export Administration’s New York office investigated the Houghton International case.