Trade Alerts

As of March 16, 2019  U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is requiring new information from importers. Consignees, sold to parties, and buyers are to use the newly published Create/Update Importer Identity Form, CBP Form 5106, to comply with the new data requirements.  Brokers and self-filers may submit the form electronically via the Broker Interface […]

Major steamship lines intend to charge a new general rate increase (GRI) for all eastbound ocean cargo from the Far East and Indian sub-continent to all destinations in Canada and the USA. The GRI is slated to go into effect April 15, 2019, as follows: US$900 per 20’ standard container US$1,000 per 40’ standard container […]

India and Turkey will be terminated from the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program following a 60-day waiting period. With $5.6 billion of US imports in 2017, India is the biggest beneficiary of the program. Turkey is the fifth-largest participant with $1.7 billion of imported goods. A United States Trade Representative release dated March 4th […]

On February 25, the FDA unveiled the agency’s new strategy to improve its oversight of imported food. This consists of four pillars: prevention of food safety problems in the foreign supply chain, detection and refusal of unsafe foods at the border, rapid re­sponse, and measuring progress on efficiency improvements. Some of the outlined tools are […]

President Trump has once again delayed the tariff increase on $200 billion of Chinese-origin goods to the U.S. due to “substantial progress” in trade talks.  With a March 1 deadline, President Trump had planned to increase the tariffs from 10 to 25 percent. The announcement came after months of efforts by negotiators for the United […]

An amendment to a California labor statute exposes shippers to liability if they use certain “blacklisted” drayage carriers. The new law went into effect in January 2019, and it applies to any business entity that engages a blacklisted port drayage motor carrier (PDMC) in California. Of note, this applies to companies that indirectly use PDMCs […]

Currently, congestion is causing delays for cargo in and around the Port of Montreal. Several factors are contributing to the delays, including weather conditions, on-dock dwell times, and driver shortages. As a result, some ocean carriers are implementing a congestion fee. Some dray carriers are no longer serving the Port of Montreal. Carriers are pulling […]

Imports of fabricated structural steel from Canada, China, and Mexico may come under anti-dumping and countervailing (AD/CVD) injury investigations following a petition that alleges it is being sold at less than fair market value in the US. If an investigation ensues, the Department of Commerce and International Trade Commission could assess AD/CVD duties. The fabricated […]

On January 25th, Hapag-Lloyd declared general average on the 7,510-TEU containership Yantian Express. The vessel and cargo in hold 1 and 2 sustained fire, smoke, and firefighting water damage during its voyage from Colombo, Sri Lanka, to Halifax, Nova Scotia. General average is a principle of maritime law where all parties involved in the journey […]

On January 11, the office of the US Trade Representative provided a written response to senators indicating that no exemptions will be allowed on the third tranche of Section 301 tariffs unless they increase from 10 to 25 percent. Approximately 5,700 classification lines of products, accounting for $200 billion in Chinese imports, are affected by […]