Transport, Trade and Regulation News

The Ocean Three Alliance of CMA CGM, China Shipping and United Arab Shipping Co. has received U.S. regulatory clearance without the standard 45-day review by the Federal Maritime Commission, but Commissioner Richard Lidinsky isn’t happy about it.

The nature of footwear sourcing is such that it raises red flags at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, so importers should make commercial compliance an integral part of their business plan, an industry consultant said Monday.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection should improve its analysis and circulation of border security data, a new report from the Government Accountability Office says.

The No. 1 commercial issue for U.S. Customs and Border Protection is completing its automated commercial environment and linking ACE with the 46 other government agencies involved in clearing shipments at the border Commissioner Gil Kerlikowkse said Saturday.

U.S. and Mexican shippers and transportation providers in their countries’ trusted trader programs can expect to see faster cargo processing at the shared border, following an agreement between the two nations’ customs agencies that promises to ease shipments of cross-border goods.

US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx used a ceremony highlighting the expansion of Port Newark Container Terminal to put in a plug for an Obama administration proposal to spend $302 billion over the next four years on transport infrastructure.

The U.S. Surface Transportation Board is pressuring Canadian Pacific Railway to better explain how it will address service issues.

British Columbia’s Port Metro Vancouver is in the home stretch of implementing its new truck licensing system, which aims to balance the number of registered trucks with the amount of available work in an effort to stabilize port operations.

Staying on top of the evolving regulatory and customs environment was a key areas forwarders and NVOCCs needed to focus on as they expand their business across Asia, delegates at a TPM Asia panel heard today.

U.S. and other foreign companies in China are often challenged by trade practices that are considered unscrupulous and/or illegal elsewhere, says Susan Kohn Ross, an international trade attorney with Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp in Los Angeles.

The war of words between Australia’s competition regulator and the container shipping industry continued today, with Shipping Australia CEO Rod Nairn branding Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chairman Rod Sims “naive,” “blind to the facts” and “on a crusade.”

Chinese companies are expecting more restrictions on wastepaper imports in early 2015 following a proposal circulated in August by the Ministry of Environmental Protection that reflects a growing emphasis on environmental protection.

In the latest step toward possible regulatory action, three U.S. senators have called on the U.S. Surface Transportation Board to implement freight rail reforms as quickly as possible in order to increase rail competition and address shippers’ concerns.

The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission has posted details of its proposed changes in rules for licensing, financial responsibility and duties of ocean transportation intermediaries.

A second New Jersey Senate committee has approved a bill to allow the state to withdraw from the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor, despite warnings that the legislation would be struck down in court.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists have intercepted another ship contaminated with Asian Gypsy Moth, this time in the Port of Honolulu. It’s the first time the destructive pest has been found at the Hawaiian port, and also the first time the unwanted guests were sourced to Taiwan.

With stricter Ebola screenings for airline passengers in the pipeline, U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called for intense health screenings on cargo ships from all Ebola-stricken countries.

The largest U.S. trucking advocacy group will redouble efforts to convince legislators, regulators and the general public that trucking is safe and getting safer, while pursuing changes to truck driver hours of service rules and other regulations that hinder rather than help trucking, American Trucking Associations President and CEO Bill Graves said.

The director of operations at the largest port of entry on the U.S.-Mexico border hopes a new U.S. Customs and Border Protection pilot program will bring in more specialized Customs agents and equipment to help prevent truck slowdowns during a current period of exploding cross-border cargo growth.

Chiquita Brands International of the U.S. and Dublin-based Fyffes have received the green light from the European Union for their proposed merger, creating the world’s biggest banana group after the Irish company released Maersk Line from an exclusivity shipping clause.

WASHINGTON — Rep. Alan Lowenthal, D-Ca., thinks shippers are so frustrated with freight bottlenecks on the U.S. highway network that they’re willing to fork over more money for national infrastructure.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has refused to review a Federal Maritime Commission decision that prohibited a non-vessel-operating common carrier from releasing cargo without requiring presentation of an original bill of lading.

A recommendation from a government panel that antitrust exemptions for liner shipping in Australia be rolled back came under heavy criticism from shipping interests who say the proposals are naive and unworkable and would lead smaller carriers to exit the market.

The U.S. federal government won’t tell Congress until later this month the results of a controversial pilot program tracking Mexican trucking companies hauling goods across the border, but opponents are already railing against continuing or expanding the initiative.

The Federal Maritime Commission has put into effect a new rule allowing the commission to use its website instead of the Federal Register to provide public notice when it revokes or suspends the licenses of ocean transportation intermediaries.

Some bad news for shippers: Switching to low-sulfur fuel on a global basis in 2020 could cost the container shipping industry up to $100 billion per year, which will likely cause container freight rates to rise as carriers attempt to pass the costs onto beneficial cargo owners.

Nearly 300 shippers, port authorities and transportation groups are urging the U.S. Congress to follow through with its plan to send more money collected via harbor maintenance taxes back to ports.

The Mexican Senate will likely consider rail reform legislation this month, paving the way for the country’s three largest railroads to keep their concessions and preventing any supply chain disruptions caused by proposed legislation that would force them to open their networks to third-parties.

A new U.S. Customs and Border Protection pilot program aims to reduce the frequency of intellectual property rights exams for trusted importers while still protecting trademark rights, saving U.S. shippers time and money.

Several industry associations representing private port terminals throughout Brazil and private terminal operators inside organized port areas were quick to condemn a law intended to clear up irregularities and inconsistencies in an infrastructure improvement plan.

Shippers need to think about end-to-end power costs, not just fuel prices, when designing supply chains, speakers at the CSCMP meeting said. Those costs, they warn, could become more volatile.

The executive branch of the European Union has taken Spain to court over security at its ports.

On an improved macroeconomic backdrop, U.S. retail holiday sales growth this year is expected to top that of last year, putting increased pressure on logistics and parcel delivery companies.

Maersk Line and Mediterranean Shipping Co. have completed the self-assessment of their proposed “2M” vessel-sharing agreement for European regulators, ensuring compliance with European Union law.

The U.S. Commerce Department set duties on 53-foot dry intermodal containers from China after a preliminary determination concluded manufacturers received unfair subsidies from the Chinese government

U.S. diesel prices slipped 0.6 percent or 2.3 cents to $3.778 per gallon on Sept. 22, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, which brought the price to its lowest level since July 16, 2012.

A bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives would prevent the publication of safety scores for trucking and bus companies and revamp the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s CSA scoring system.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has ordered Ken’s Trucking company, based in Grand Ridge, Florida, to immediately shut down following a federal investigation that revealed numerous violations of safety regulations.