China has locked down Shenzhen, a city of 17.5 million people, in an attempt to control its worst Covid-19 outbreak since the pandemic began in 2020. As China seeks to…
Trade Alerts
U.S. Bans Russian Imports and Downgrades Russia’s Trade Status
On March 11, President Biden issued an executive order banning imports of Russian seafood, spirits, and non-industrial diamonds due to Russia’s conflict with Ukraine. This ban follows earlier sanctions imposed…
Trucking Industry Struggling as Oil Prices Continue to Soar
With today’s current market conditions, the shipping industry is not only suffering from equipment and driver shortages, severe congestion, and capacity issues, but oil prices are now soaring, causing more…
Union Members at CP Rail Vote to Authorize Strike
Union members of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) have voted in favor of a strike mandate beginning March 16, 2022, if a collective bargaining agreement isn’t reached. The possible…
Carriers Impose Temporary Suspension of Bookings To and From Russia
Several of the largest container shipping companies are temporarily halting all cargo bookings to and from Russia due to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, including Maersk, MSC, CMA CGM, ONE,…
Blockades at Canadian Border Crossings Causing Delays
The Coutts border crossing is the only 24/7 commercial crossing between Alberta and Montana, and it is one of Canada’s busiest crossings into the U.S. Service at the border has…
Phase 1 of ACE Portal Modernization in Effect
According to CSMS #50752966, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) deployed Phase 1 of the ACE Secure Data Portal (ACE Portal) modernization on January 22, 2022. The updated platform is…
Mandatory Electronic Filing of USDA Agricultural Marketing Service Marketing Orders
According to CSMS #50708860, filing PGA USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Marketing Orders (MO) becomes mandatory on February 28, 2022. Importers of the following products will be required to provide…
HTS Classification Changes Become Effective January 27, 2022, and May Affect Your USMCA Certificate
As advised in a previous Trade Alert, the World Customs Organization (WCO) publishes changes to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) at the international level every five years. The changes go…
Bill Signed into Law Banning Goods Made with Forced Labor in Xinjiang
On December 23, 2021, President Biden signed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act into law. The Act will go into effect on June 21, 2022. The Act prohibits U.S. imports…