March 2005

C U S T O M S _______________________________

On a Typical Day, U.S. Customs and Border Protection...

Certifying for Release via Entry Summary on Multiple Ultimate Consignee Shipments

U.S. Customs has issued a National Directive that they will no longer allow entry filers (brokers) to "certify for release via entry summary" on multiple Ultimate Consignee shipments.

CBP Changes Policy on Remote Filing for Textile Entries

U.S. Customs drops C-TPAT requirement for ACE

Stricter C-TPAT to offer prompt clearance

SMALL BUSINESS GUIDES TO IMPORTING AND EXPORTING

http://www.iexportimport.com/resources/main.htm

I read somewhere that, contrary to what you'd expect, the lion's share of international trade is done by small businesses. If you want to develop new markets for your small business, there's a good page of information at Small Business Resources. Here you'll find links to international trade sites; guides to importing and exporting; frequently asked questions about importing and exporting; and a list of incoterms (terms used in international trade). It's a no-frills site with plenty of solid, practical information.

FITA's Really Useful Sites for International Trade Professionals

Really Useful Sites for International Trade Professionals is a bi-weekly email newsletter sent to 85,000 international trade professionals worldwide. Published by the Federation of International Trade Associations (FITA) and written by journalist John McDonnell, Really Useful Sites for International Trade Professionals contains informally written descriptions of 4-5 Web sites from FITA's International Trade Web Resources that are useful for international trade, as well as some fun sites that enliven a business day.

I m p o r t N e w s & I n f o

Importing chemicals???

It is important to have your supplier include the CAS number for each specific chemical. CBP will not allow release of the imported chemicals until this is supplied. In addition, providing the CAS number assures you that you will not pay one cent more in duty than you need to!

White House Notices: NAFTA Rules of Origin Amended
15 Feb 2005, ST&R

Proclamation Amends NAFTA Rules of Origin. President Bush has issued Proclamation 7870, which makes a number of changes to the NAFTA rules of origin. For products of Canada, these changes are effective with respect to goods that are entered, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after January 1, 2005. The effective date of these changes with respect to Mexico will be announced by the USTR in a future Federal Register notice.

Enforcement of New Wood Packaging Standards effective September 16, 2005

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection Service (CBP) will enforce new international standards on materials made from wood (e.g., pallets, crates, boxes, and dunnage) used to package imported goods. To comply with the new standards, wood packaging materials must be heat treated or fumigated with methyl bromide and marked with the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) logo and appropriate country code designating the location of treatment. Additional paper certifications will not be required. For more information on these new regulations, please visit the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) web site at www.aphis.usda.gov.

These new rules will increase the financial risk for Importers and Shippers as the responsibility for compliance fall on their shoulders. For Importers, delays or costs for missing or improper treatment may compel you to re-export the goods or repair the deficiency at your own cost. For Exporters, your customer may look to you to compensate for delays and extra costs due to unacceptable compliance. Please note that wood packaging materials not in compliance must be treated, re-exported, or destroyed.

What you don't want to receive from United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security.

A company, Bass Pro exported product to their customers totaling some $48,000 in gross sales. The product required an export license. The following is a summary of the letter Bass Pro received.

Bass Pro, Inc. – 407 alleged violations of 15 C.F.R. 764.2(a) involving exports of optical sighting devices without the required licenses and one alleged violation of 15 C.F.R. 764.2(i) for failure to keep required records - $510,000 civil penalty, of which $127,500 shall be paid to the U.S. Department of Commerce within 30 days from the date of entry of the Order; $127,500 shall be paid to the US. Department of Commerce not later than April 29, 2005; $127,500 shall be paid to the U S. Department of Commerce not later than July 29, 2005; and $127,500 shall be paid to the U.S. Department of Commerce not later than October 31, 2005.

S h i p p i n g & T r a n s p o r t a t i o n

SCAC Code Problem

Last night the National Motor Freight Transportation Association (NMFTA) who provides U.S. Customs with the SCAC carrier database decided to purge from the approved SCAC database, any and all carriers who have not paid their annual fee. This resulted in many carriers' SCAC codes being deactivated and held up shipments at the border.

Advance Electronic Cargo FAQ- Updated

U.S. to reinstate Seaway tolls

Shippers will face increasing delays
at U.S. ports 16 Feb 2005, JOC

Due to port congestion and tighter security procedures customers are advised to build an extra 48 hours into their supply chain. Carrier officials say the delays are running a week. Shippers whose containers are picked for inspection by Customs' Vehicle and Cargo Inspection System (VACIS) van may face additional delays of up to 21 days. Customs is now inspecting 7 percent of all containers moving through New York, up from 2 percent previously.

Trucking facing capacity crunch again

Effective March 1, 2005 BNSF Railroad’s new policy is by far the most stringent of any railroad in North America.

Storage charges will be increasing coupled with free time decreasing, including the counting of weekends into the calculation.

The trend for all U.S. and Canadian intermodal terminals in the coming years will be to continue to decrease free time as well as increase storage charges as the costs of increasing the size of their intermodal terminals rises and available surrounding land continues to disappear.

For more information click here to visit the BNSF website.

BNSF will change their container storage policy Phoenix International

Effective March 1st, 2005, free time begins upon notification (container availability) and extends for 24 hours at the BNSF Terminal. Upon expiration of free time, the storage charge will be $150.00 per container per day. Asian import vessel carriers continue to have 100 percent load factors. New even larger vessels will enter the east bound market in the coming months to handle the extraordinary import cargo growth. Port congestion will continue due to infrastructure deficiency as will the shortage of rail car equipment, chassis, and labor issues. Our advice is to not wait to the last minute to place your orders with your Asian suppliers this year, especially if you face any deadline or promotional periods. Plan on having orders arrive 2 to 3 weeks early or even sooner if you can. Please do not underestimate the cost significance of waiting until the last minute. If you do, it may cost you even more.

S e m i n a r s & T r a d e E v e n t s

Supply Chain Security in a New Business Environment Training Seminar
April 18-20th, 2005 Hotel Inter-Continental Miami, Miami, Florida

Open to C-TPAT Certified Members Only. Attendees should be individuals directly responsible for the implementation of the C-TPAT program throughout the organization supply chains.

For more Information There is no fee for attending.

Upcoming EyeforTransport Events

FITA's searchable events database for Trade Events worldwide

National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America, Inc.

March 13 - 17, 2005 - San Diego, California - 2005 NCBFAA Annual Conference - "Complying with Government Initiatives."

International Credit Executives (ICE)

Milwaukee World Trade Association

"Conducting Business in China: Insights about Possible Strategic Options"

Milwaukee International Trade Conference
THINK GLOBAL
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Italian Community Center, 631 E. Chicago Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202

for more information:

Metro Milwaukee Association of Commerce - Special Events

Reception co-hosted by M. E. Dey & Co.

Headlines link to printable articles or click here for printable newsletter (6 pages)

March in History

Website of the Month

Google Maps Mapping done the Google way

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