Monday Morning eBriefing

The Federal Maritime Commission will now require the three global ocean carrier alliances (2M, OCEAN, and THE) and each of their member companies to provide enhanced pricing and capacity information which will provide the agency with uniform data to use in assessing ocean carrier behavior and marketplace competitiveness.

The United Nations is seeking to expand its pool of freight forwarders with solid experience in transportation services of military equipment, including dangerous goods, ammunition, explosives, armored vehicles, etc., to and from African countries such as Mali, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, etc.

NCBFAA reaffirmed its commitment to the North American Customs Brokers Alliance (NACBFA) whose leadership includes customs broker associations in Mexico and Canada to address issues related to the North American trade block.

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have continued to postpone their “Container Dwell Fee,” and said they will reconsider its possible imposition on May 20.

A Consumer Product Safety Commission (CSPC) official outlined the agency’s plans to implement its ACE Message Set during a panel at NCBFAA’s Annual Conference on May 2, starting with a pilot program involving wide participation from importers and customs brokers.

The NCBFAA Regulatory Agencies Committee (RAC) continues to work with the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to raise awareness and use of E-Phytos, a visionary global solution to the challenge of transferring phytosanitary certificates through the supply chain.

Some of you may occasionally receive questionable electronic communications which are believed to be part of phishing schemes. Always ignore and delete these communications!

The just-passed omnibus spending bill includes a small but important feature: a provision to add $250 million for the USDA’s Agriculture Quarantine Inspection (AQI) program. USDA APHIS collects the AQI fees which are then used to pay for the CBP agriculture inspectors. The last-minute emergency request for funds from USDA was the result of a shortfall in fee collections due to reduced trade and travel during the pandemic. The additional funds will keep the AQI going through FY2023.

The Ex Works Watchdog keeps clients informed about the issues facing airport and seaport truckers.

The Loadstar on March 16 reported that Maersk was subpoenaed by the DOJ as part of an “ongoing investigation into supply chain disruption. Other than confirmation by Maersk, there is no information available as to why the carrier has been subpoenaed.

With the recent announcement that the U.S. will revoke Russia’s Most Favored Nation Duty Status, NCBFAA urges its members to monitor Customs and Border Protection’s CSMS and other trade-facing announcements as to when goods originating from Russia for U.S. consumption will be subject to exponentially higher column two duty rates. While such tariff rate changes typically track the date of entry for consumption or withdrawal from warehouse, it is possible that they may track the date of export from Russia, in this latter case where goods already exported, but not yet entered, may not carry the higher duty rates.

As with many large trade associations, the NCBFAA maintains outside counsel positions for guidance and to provide the membership with the highest quality of service available. To that end, we currently contract with two legal counsels, covering general association operations and customs and transportation matters, as well as legislative representative.

On behalf of NCBFAA's Board of Directors, Leadership and Staff, we want to take a moment to acknowledge and welcome the following members who have recently joined our association:

Now is not the time to slow down on contacting your local Congressional offices to ask them to support the Customs Business Fairness Act (CBFA) (H.R. 4816).

NCBFAA’s 2022 Membership Directory and Annual Report are now published and will be mailed by our publisher to qualifying member company representatives in the coming days.

In the runup to the launch of our new NCBFAA website, we are excited to announce an official preview of the site at the 49th NCBFAA Annual Conference in Tucson, Arizona.

The NCBFAA Transportation Committee’s Logistics Subcommittee is regularly collecting data on the nation’s rail delays and port congestion that are impacting the supply chain and your business operations.

NCBFAA wishes those individuals taking the next Customs and Border Protection (CBP) customs brokers license exam on April 27 the best of luck and we look forward to hopefully welcoming many of you into the club!

In alignment with Presidential Proclamation 10133 of Jan. 14, 2021, the trade remedy measures on large residential washers and covered parts are extended through Feb. 7, 2023, and quota limits and duty rates are specified for the additional years.