Monday Morning eBriefing

A member company seeks a wholesale agent for ocean freight contract service for imports from Asia to the U.S. If you can provide this service, please email Nancy Painter at npainter@ncbfaa.org.

The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) has issued a final rule amending the filing requirements for service contracts. Current regulations require service contracts between ocean common carriers and shippers to be filed with the FMC prior to their effective date. The Final Rule now allows carriers to file service contracts up to 30 days after their effective date.

J.O. Alvarez, Jr., passed away on April 21 surrounded by his family after a year-long battle with cancer.

NCBFAA NVOCC members joined together on a conference call on April 19 to discuss the Federal Maritime Commission's recently announced review of its tariff regulations. Specifically, the FMC issued an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) seeking comments regarding carrier (1) Tariff Access Fees and (2) Pass-Through Charges.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has started enforcement of applicable regulations for egregious or repetitive violators who do not demonstrate "good faith" efforts to control the movement of bonded cargo.

NCBFAA would like to wholeheartedly thank our sponsors and exhibitors of the 48th Annual Conference on May 2-5 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Simply put, we could not launch this remarkable and insightful program without your generous support!

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 has recently joined our association:

USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) unveiled a new portal to simplify access to entry requirements for imported agricultural commodities.

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 has recently joined our association:

The White House on April 12 nominated Chris Magnus, currently police chief for the City of Tucson, Arizona, to serve as the country's next commissioner of Customs and Border Protection.

The USDA Specialty Crops Deputy Administrator has agreed to allow the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) to align its notification requirements for truck and air imported shipments with the FDA notice requirements of two hours.

A member company seeks a wholesale agent for ocean freight contract service for imports from Asia to the U.S. If you can provide this service, please email Nancy Painter at npainter@ncbfaa.org.

NCBFAA's 21CCF Subcommittee has been making a lot of progress under Cindy Allen's leadership, along with vital support from Victoria Lane, to draft the association's 21st Century Customs & Trade Framework White Paper.

The Biden administration has signaled to the trade that human rights abuses facilitated through the supply chain will not be tolerated and that includes U.S. exports to despotic regimes.

In February, the Food and Drug Administration launched the second phase of its Artificial Intelligence Imported Seafood pilot, which is designed to enhance and improve the agency's ability to identify imported seafood products that may pose a threat to public health. In this phase, the FDA is applying the Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning model algorithm in the field to help FDA staff decide which shipments to examine.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced several changes in personnel who are involved with the regulation of imports:

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on April 9 released President Biden's fiscal year 2022 discretionary funding request to Congress. The OMB is expected to release the president's budget later this spring.

The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) on April 8 issued an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) seeking comments regarding carrier (1) pass-through charges, and (2) tariff access fees. The ANPRM is a part of the FMC's initiative to review existing regulations to determine whether they are outdated, unnecessary, or ineffective. Specifically, the FMC is seeking comments on how non-vessel operating common carriers (NVOCCs) apply pass-through charges under their tariffs, and the reasonableness of certain tariff access fees. The FMC is seeking public input prior to determining whether to change its carrier tariff regulations.

Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA) has once again introduced the Imported Seafood Testing Act (H.R. 1236) in the 117th Congress, requiring the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to inspect at least 20% of all imported seafood each year, as well as the first 15 shipments imported into the U.S. by a new importer.

NCBFAA congratulates Daniela Piperno as this year's annual scholarship recipient.