Deringer Trade Alerts

• Montreal Gateway Terminals Declares Force Majeure, Forcing Inland Rail Cargo Out of Port
  February 21, 2020
  Montreal Gateway Terminals has declared a Force Majeure late last week for all inland rail cargo due to the congestion attributed to rail blockades across Canada. All rail cargo must be evacuated immediately from the port, and anything dwelling more than five calendar days will incur storage charges effective February ...
• USTR Publishes Next Round of Product Exclusions from Section 301 List 3
  February 20, 2020
  On February 19, 2020, the US Trade Representative (USTR) published another round of excluded goods from the Section 301 List 3 tariffs on imported Chinese goods. The effective date will be retroactive to September 24, 2018, and extend through August 7, 2020. The excluded goods included “one 10-digit HTSUS subheading ...
• Blockades and Cold Weather Causing CN Rail Freight Disruption
  February 18, 2020
  Illegal blockades along various points of CN Rail’s network continue to hamper the flow of CN Rail freight across Canada and into the US. The blockades, which are protesting a proposed pipeline, are having a far-reaching impact on the movement of freight: Blockades east of Belleville and in Tyendinaga, ON, have ...
• USTR Publishes New Set of Section 301 Tranche One Exclusions
  February 11, 2020
  The US Trade Representative (USTR) has published a new set of Section 301 tranche one exclusions, which will exempt certain imported Chinese goods from the additional tariffs. The exclusions will be retroactive to July 6, 2018, the effective date of the $34 billion action, and they will extend until October ...
• CN Rail Freight Traffic Affected by Rail Blockades in ON & BC
  February 11, 2020
  CN Rail has announced they will shut down some sections of its rail network due to rail line blockades in British Columbia and Ontario. Since last Thursday, freight and passenger rail traffic between Western and Eastern Canada and Eastern Canada and the US Mid-West have been affected by the blockades, ...
• FDA Increases Frequency of Inspections, Warns of FSVP Non-Compliance
  February 5, 2020
  The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has increased the frequency of inspections on US food buyers. In particular, there recently have been more warnings regarding non-compliance with the foreign supplier verification program (FSVP) requirements. US buyers of food products, meant for human or animal consumption and including vitamins and ...
• USTR Publishes 8th Round of Section 301 List 3 Exclusions
  February 3, 2020
  On January 31, 2019, the US Trade Representative published the eighth round of product exclusions from Section 301 list 3. In this round, the Chinese-origin goods excluded from the 25 percent duties include “2 10-digit HTSUS subheadings, which cover 52 requests, and 117 specially prepared product descriptions, which cover 156 ...
• Coronavirus Causing Some Supply Chain Delays in China
  January 29, 2020
  The spreading coronavirus situation is evolving very quickly, and the sickness carries with it challenges and disruptions to supply chains in China. Authorities in China imposed travel restrictions in Wuhan and ten other cities prior to Chinese New Year, which began on January 25, 2020. The Chinese government has extended the ...
• US Bureau of Industry and Security Releases List of Steel and Aluminum Products Subject to Section 232
  January 29, 2020
  Effective February 8, 2020, an expanded list of imported steel and aluminum products will be subject to Section 232 duties. As found in Annex I Derivatives of Aluminum Products, an additional duty of 10 percent will apply to $20 million of imported aluminum products, such as stranded wire, cable, plaited bands, ...
• Increase Seen in Penalties Being Issued by CBP for Wood Packaging Materials Violations
  January 28, 2020
  The trade community has seen an increase in U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s enforcement of Department of Agriculture regulations on the treatment and marking of wood packaging materials.  A.N. Deringer encourages their customers to review the Wood and Wood Products section of the Miscellaneous and Processed Product Manual (MPPM) published ...
• President Trump Issues Additional Duties on Aluminum and Steel “Derivative” Products
  January 27, 2020
  On Friday, January 24, 2020, President Trump issued a proclamation expanding Section 232 duties on aluminum and steel to include “derivative” aluminum and steel articles. The addition of the 10% Section 232 duties on aluminum and 25% Section 232 duties on steel will apply to certain “downstream” manufactured articles. These ...
• US and China’s Phase One Trade Deal Moves Forward
  January 16, 2020
  The US and China signed the Phase One trade deal on January 15th. The deal will reduce some Section 301 duties on Chinese imports, and China will reciprocate with increased imports of American goods. Section 301 duties on 3,800 8-digit tariff lines (from the $300 billion trade action) will ...
• Section 301: New Deal with China & More Product Exclusions
  January 6, 2020
  Product exclusions and plans for a new trade deal help tamp down the effects of Section 301 tariffs placed on China. The leaders of the US and China are set to sign Phase One Trade Deal on January 15, 2020. Under the deal, goods on List 4a of Section 301 will ...
• US-China Reach Deal, Halting December 15th Section 301 Tariff Increases
  December 13, 2019
  The US and China have reached phase one of a trade agreement, which has prompted the White House to call off the Section 301 tariff increases slated for December 15th. The planned increase would’ve impacted consumer goods including toys, clothing, and cell phones. A tweet from the President today announced ...
• USMCA Moves Forward with Approval from House Working Group
  December 12, 2019
  The US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) reached the next level of approval with a nod from the House working group established by Nancy Pelosi. The agreement is supposed to hit the chamber floor next week, and the White House intends to send a final implementing bill to Congress soon. The recently-amended deal ...
• Ocean Carriers Announce New Fees Associated with IMO2020, Low-Sulphur Fuel
  December 4, 2019
  Ocean carriers have begun quoting fees associated with the IMO2020 environmental requirements. For most, the effective date was quoted as January 1st; however, we have seen December 1st start dates as well. Steamship lines have dubbed the fee by different terms, without consistency by carrier alliance. APL and CMA reference low ...
• USTR Proposes Section 301 Tariffs on List of French Goods
  December 3, 2019
  The United States Trade Representative (USTR) has proposed Section 301 tariffs of up to 100% on French goods. The action comes in response to France’s Digital Service Tax (DST), which the USTR has found to be unreasonable and restricting US commerce. The tariff would affect a list of 63 tariff ...
• CN Rail Strike to End; Operations to Resume
  November 26, 2019
  CN Rail workers and management have reached a tentative agreement to end a week-long strike. Employees are scheduled to return to work at 2PM local time with yard assignments starting at 6AM tomorrow. While the agreement is being ratified, there will be no further job action. Delays may continue as CN ...
• Additional Documentation to Be Required for Imports of Tomatoes and Peppers
  November 22, 2019
  Effective November 22, 2019, the import of fresh tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum), peppers (Capsicum spp.), and related propagative material will be restricted to prevent the spread of tomato brown rugose fruit virus into the United States. This virus is easily spread through the use of contaminated tools, hands, and plant-to-plant contact. The ...
• CN Rail Strike to Cause Cargo Delays
  November 19, 2019
  Conductors, train persons, and rail yard workers with Canadian National Railway (CN Rail) began striking today after failing to reach a compromise with management. Workers have not had a contract since late July and have concerns about wages, long hours, benefits, and working conditions. Federal mediators are joining CN Rail and ...
• Lufthansa Two-Day Strike Impacting Air Cargo
  November 7, 2019
  Today kicked off a two-day strike by Lufthansa cabin crew. Although freighters with Lufthansa Cargo will fly according to schedule, many passenger flights carrying cargo on Lufthansa will be grounded. The airline has canceled 1,300 flights, including 700 leaving Germany on November 7th and 600 leaving on November 8th. As ...
• CN Rail Voted in Favor of a Strike; Could Happen by November 19th
  October 31, 2019
  The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) has announced that 3,000 members, employed by Canadian National Railway (CN Rail), have voted in favor of a strike. They may strike as soon as November 19th at 12:01 AM following 72 hours of notice. The employees have been negotiating for six months and ...
• Section 301 List 4A Portal to Open; More Exclusions Granted for List 3
  October 24, 2019
  On October 31, 2019, the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) will open an online portal for submitting exclusion requests regarding List 4A of the Section 301 tariffs on Chinese goods. The USTR provided specific procedures for requesting exclusions. After registering on the portal, submitters will need to provide ...
• FMC Seeks Comments on Demurrage and Detention Proposed Rule
  October 23, 2019
  The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) seeks comments on a proposed interpretive rule that provides guidance regarding how the FMC determines the “reasonableness of demurrage and detention practices and regulations under the Shipping Act.” Under the rule, the FMC proposes to consult a non-exclusive list of factors when evaluating claims and ...
• Section 301 Tariff Hike Canceled; Filing Guidance Provided for Exclusions
  October 14, 2019
  On Friday, President Trump called off Section 301 tariff increases on Chinese goods that were to be implemented on Tuesday, October 15th. The planned tariff hike, from 25% to 30%, was on lists 1, 2, and 3. The announcement came after Chinese and American negotiators made progress on sticking points ...
• Highlights of the U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement
  October 9, 2019
  On October 7th, the U.S. and Japan signed a limited, bilateral trade deal called the United States-Japan Trade Agreement. The deal seeks to eliminate or reduce tariffs on certain agricultural and industrial products traded between the two countries. While the effective date is January 1st, many of the tariff lines ...
• USTR Issues More Section 301 Exclusions, Announces Filing & Refund Procedures
  October 9, 2019
  On October 2nd, the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) published two more sets of product exclusions from the Chinese goods subject to Section 301 tariffs. Representing HTS numbers from both tranche one and two, the exclusions are retroactive to July 6, 2018, for those on the first list ...
• FDA Publishes List of Records Required Under FSVP
  October 8, 2019
  The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has provided resources for importers to solidify their compliance standing within the requirements of the Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) final rule, including a list of records required under the regulation. The rule requires importers to “develop, implement, and maintain” an FSVP, which ...
• US Plans Section 301 Tariffs on European Goods; EU May Retaliate
  October 7, 2019
  The World Trade Organization (WTO) has authorized the US to implement Section 301 tariffs on European goods in response to subsidies provided to Airbus. The US has announced a planned effective date of October 18, 2019. The proposed list of goods is divided into 15 sections by country and product; ...
• Imports of South Korean Steel Products Will Require Export Certificates
  September 19, 2019
  Beginning October 18th, US importers of South Korean steel products subject to absolute quota limits will be required to provide “valid and properly executed certificates of exportation.” US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced the requirement in a Federal Register, dated September 18th. The quota will allow South Korea to ...