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DOES MAERSK
CARE?
Customer service from some
Steamship lines is simply unsatisfactory. In this day of $100/day
detention rules, time is of the essence. Also, some minimum
concern for doing a good job is in our opinion, necessary. Maersk
line does not make it to our recommended carrier list for these
reasons. In a recent instance, one of our staff had this horrific
experience:
Her story; Maersk routes all
inquiries for active shipments to the Customer Service department.
Customer Service advised they did not receive a delivery order. It
was not until after sending the delivery order twice and making
three phone calls to Maersk, that they explain they would not know
if the delivery order was received or not. As it was further
explained, with exasperation because after all, I was just another
dumb Customs Broker, that the Customer Service Department doesn't
really know if they get the delivery order or not, until the
Delivery Order department actually inputs the information into the
computer. We received a fax notice, two
days later, that Maersk did not like the deliver-to
address on the delivery order and we needed to either correct it
or pay for a diversion. The Customer Service Department advised
that they do not have access to Delivery Order Department's
information and would not ever be able to help us... and NO
they could not connect me or give the phone number for the
Delivery Order Department.
In our opinion, a system such as
this is not suitable for modern day intermodal processes. Beside
M.E.Dey, there are service providers that do care about your
cargo. Call us for our ideas. |
Please
note that a rate increase of 20%~30% based on current rate
from Taipei to
USA, effective from July 31,2006.
Fuel Surcharge will also
be adjusted effective from July 31, 2006.
To North & South
America : $0.90 per kg
Security Surcharge $0.09
per (remain)
Two derailments in the Western U.S have
closed rail access into and out of
Los Angeles for all Intermodal
Providers.
The "ripple" effect upon locomotive and
railcar assets in the overall network, especially in Los Angeles, will be
great, and we will incur origin delays until the effects of these
accidents subsides.
As a result of the derailment west of Yuma,
Arizona on 07/26/06 and the derailment west of Salt Lake City, Utah on
07/27/06 the flow of railcar and locomotive assets across the UPRR network
have been seriously disrupted.
These events will have a negative impact on
assets required in the Los Angeles Basin, Chicago area, Southeast
,Southwest and Memphis. The ripple affects of these derailments will
result in assets / volume already moving being excessively delayed to
destinations and origin volume delayed waiting for the locomotive and
railcar assets to arrive destinations in order to turn back. Current
evaluation indicates that it will be the middle of next week before the
situation is corrected.
return to newsletter frontpage
Changes in Export Control for China
On July 6, 2006, U.S.
Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS)
published a rule in the Federal Register that proposed amending the
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) to clarify the United States'
policy for exports and reexports of dual-use items to the People's
Republic of China (PRC). BIS proposes to amend the EAR by revising and
clarifying United States licensing requirements and licensing to
prevent exports that would make a material contribution to the
military capability of the PRC, while facilitating U.S. exports to
legitimate civil end-users in the PRC
BIS will hold a
meeting on July 17, 2006 for those companies, organizations, and
individuals that have an interest in understanding the United States'
revised policy for exports and reexports of dual-use items to the
People's Republic of China (PRC). U.S. Government officials will
explain the amendments proposed in the rule and answer questions from
the public.
The meeting will be held on July 17, 2006 at 2 p.m. at the U.S.
Department of Commerce, Herbert C. Hoover Building, Main Auditorium,
14th Street between Pennsylvania Avenue and Constitution Avenue, NW.,
Washington, DC. In order for BIS to prepare for those who plan to
attend the meeting, please provide your name and company or
organizational affiliation to fax number (202) 482-4094, Attn: China
Policy Briefing. For further information, please contact Judith
Peterson at BIS on (202) 482-0092.
Foreign Regulatory Changes That Could Affect U.S. Exports
18 Jul
2006, Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg’s WTI
According to the
Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and
Technology, the WTO has been notified by the following countries of
proposed regulatory changes that may affect U.S. exports of the
products indicated. More detailed information on the nature of the
proposed changes can be accessed on the NIST
Web site.
• Argentina –
bicycles
• Armenia – wastes
produced from packages and wrappings
• Armenia – stoves,
ranges, grates, cookers (including those with subsidiary boilers for
central heating), gas warmers, central heating boilers with gas fuel
• Colombia –
safety-belts and restraint systems for adult occupants of motor
vehicles
• European
Communities – wine from fresh grapes
• Finland – products
used in water and waste water installations
• Kenya – microwave
ovens
• Kenya – valve for
liquefied petroleum gas cylinders
• Korea – motor
vehicles
• Nicaragua –
fermented beverages
• Slovenia – bitumen,
materials for roads engineering
• Sweden – life
saving appliances
• Sweden – CPB
PierPASS
Urges Exporters To Test New Procedures Starting July 31
From August
7, Exporters Must Claim Booking Numbers Before Delivering Containers
to
Terminals at Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach
LONG BEACH, Calif., July 25, 2006 – PierPASS
Inc. today announced that an open testing period will begin on Monday,
July 31, for the new procedures for handling export containers under
the OffPeak program at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. PierPASS
urges all exporters to begin using the modified system during the
testing period to ensure they are ready for the change.
Beginning Monday, August 7, 2006, exporters delivering containers
during peak hours will be required to claim their booking numbers
before the containers arrive at the marine terminals. Under the
revised procedure, exporters must claim their booking numbers by
visiting the PierPASS
website and entering the booking numbers into their accounts. Export
containers subject to the Traffic Mitigation Fee (TMF) that arrive at
terminals during peak hours (Monday through Friday, 3:00 a.m. to 6:00
p.m.) without having been claimed in this manner will be turned around
and encouraged to use the OffPeak hours of operation.
TMF payments must be made electronically through the PierPASS
website by registered OffPeak users; no OffPeak payments are accepted
at the terminal gates. The cargo owner (the shipper) is responsible
for payment of the fee, not the trucking company or other carrier. The
website for declaring booking numbers and making TMF payments is
http://www.pierpass-tmf.org.
Exporters who are not current on their accounts will not be allowed to
deliver additional containers. For exporters using direct pay methods
(credit card, debit card or electronic check), all TMFs for
Monday-through-Friday periods must be paid prior to the following
Tuesday. For exporters using PierPASS
Credit Accounts, all TMFs for Monday-through-Friday periods are
invoiced the following Tuesday. Payment terms for credit accounts are
net 10 days.
More information about the export procedure change is available at
http://www.pierpass.org, including a Q&A and a link to a free webinar on the procedure
change.
About PierPASS
PierPASS
is a not-for-profit company created by marine terminal operators at
the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports to address multi-terminal issues
such as congestion, security and air quality. For more information,
please go to
http://www.pierpass.org.
return to
newsletter frontpage
CBP Extends C-TPAT Portal Deadline to
October 1, 2006
Who says the
Government doesn't respond to the public? Facing a revolt from the
trade community, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) pushed back
the deadline for participant companies in the Customs-Trade
Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) to post security profiles on
the new C-TPAT portal. The previous deadlines were August 1 and
September 1, depending on the type of participant. CBP has decided to
give a slight reprieve.
The new deadline for all categories is
October 1, 2006.
There is still a lot
to do in a very short time. Many companies, even those certified and
validated companies, do not meet the latest C-TPAT security criteria.
CBP promises to kick you out of C-TPAT if you fail to post your
security profile on time or if your security profile does not meet the
new security profile. CBP now has the means to easily carry out its
threat now that all your C-TPAT information is automated through the
C-TPAT Portal. The C-TPAT Portal creates additional requirements for
participants.
If
you require assistance with C-TPAT, please contact us at M.E.Dey.
Hazmat training is not a choice!
The United States
Department of Transportation requires training for anyone who handles
hazardous materials including individuals who ship or receive
hazardous materials, prepare hazardous materials for transportation,
mark and label containers, complete shipping documents, select
packaging and load or unload hazardous materials.
Hazardous materials (hazmat) training now applies to any individual
who;
-
Loads, unloads, or
handles hazardous materials;
-
Marks, labels, or otherwise prepares containers, drums,
or packaging for transportation of hazardous materials;
-
Prepares hazardous materials shipping papers for
transportation;
-
Is responsible for safety of transporting hazardous
materials;
On the other hand, if there was an
intent to "willfully" violation the hazmat regulations then that can
be a criminal matter. For example, a business owner reads this website
and learns that the are required by law to train their hazmat employee
but makes a willful decision not to do it (for whatever reason). That
is intentionally violating the law and could be subject to criminal
penalties. Usually criminal penalties are pursued by DOT enforcement
agents after discovery of a leak, spill or other accident and the
violation appears to be "willful". In the list of criminal enforcement
actions is one felony case where a man was convicted of shipping a
used motorcycle by air without declaring it as hazmat.
return to
newsletter frontpage
UGS Corporation of
Plano, Texas agreed to pay a $57,750 civil penalty to settle
allegations that it engaged in illegal exports of computer software or
software updates to organizations in India and China and allowed
downloads of software in China and India.
Dresser Inc. of
Addison, Texas agreed to pay a penalty in the amount of $110,000 for
allegedly shipping oil industry items to Libya and Iran in violation
of OFAC prohibitions. Dresser Inc. of Addison, Texas also paid $6,000
for an alleged unauthorized shipment to Iraq.
Plains All American
Pipeline of Houston Texas agreed to pay a penalty in the amount of
$82,500 for alleged unauthorized export of crude oil to Canada.
Salinas International
Freight Company of Dallas, Texas agreed to pay a penalty in the amount
of $11,600 for allegedly shipping to a denied party.
The Ghashim Group of
Houston, Texas has its export privileges suspended for allegedly
shipping computers to Syria.
Bernard Williams
of Norwalk, CT, drew a 46-month prison term and a $7,500 fine from a
U.S. District Court judge in Brooklyn, NY, for “recklessly delivering”
two undeclared cartons of ammonia for transport on a commercial
flight. Williams was convicted in July 2003 for declaring that two
cardboard boxes which he checked on a February 15, 2002 flight from
Fort Myers, FL to New York City, contained kitty litter when they
contained 13 bottles of ammonia. During the flight, one of the bottles
broke, causing 28 passengers, including a seven-week-old infant, to
become ill. The infant had to be hospitalized. Williams was also
ordered to pay $600 in restitution and will serve 36 month on
probation following his jail term.
Greg Austin,
president of Austin & Pruitt Fire & Safety Equipment, Wilmington, DE,
pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Wilmington, to making false
statements regarding the testing of about 2,000 high-pressure
compressed-gas cylinders. Austin’s business is authorized by the
Department to conduct visual and hydrostatic retests of high-pressure
cylinders, such as fire extinguishers and firefighter air-packs. After
an unannounced inspection in September 2000, the firm was asked to
recall and retest 81 cylinders. On three occasions—September 26, 2001,
January 29, 2002, and March 28, 2002—Austin informed Department
officials that about 64 of the 81 cylinders had been recalled and
retested. Not believing him, investigators found about 30 cylinders at
fire departments that had not been retested. Firefighters count on
certifications that their equipment is properly functioning and safe.
By lying, Austin put their lives at risk. Austin is scheduled for
sentencing on August 5. The case was investigated by OIG and RSPA.
Daryl Schumacher,
former vice president of International Trading and Marketing of
Lancaster, PA, was fined $2,700, for deliberately shipping thousands
of undeclared gas-charged lighters and matches by air between January
1999 and October 2000, in violation of the Federal hazardous material
law. Schumacher pleaded guilty in September 2002. He received a
reduced sentence in exchange for his cooperation with other OIG
hazardous materials investigations.
Alexander I. Eskin
of Honolulu, HI, pleaded guilty, to filing a false report regarding a
hazardous material shipment, for which he was fined a $5,000 criminal
penalty and $12,500 civil penalty. Eskin was a pilot for Northwest
Airlines, when in June 2001 he tried to air ship a used motorcycle
concealed in a box from Albany to Michigan. In two phone conversations
with the shipper the previous day, he was told he would have to
declare the motorcycle as hazardous material (hazmat) because it
contained gasoline and oil. Nonetheless, Eskin claimed on an airbill
that the box did not contain dangerous goods regulated in air
transport and also signed a shipper’s security endorsement stating the
cargo did not contain hazmat. The motorcycle never was shipped because
the box could not fit through the plane’s cargo door.
MGC Trading
Corporation of Miami, FL, was fined $3,000 for willfully delivering
unlabeled flammable, corrosive, and poisonous chemicals. The firm
pleaded guilty to the charge in June 2003. In June 2002, MGC, through
a freight forwarder, offered nine separate packages to Lan Chile, a
foreign air carrier, for air transportation to Peru. The packages were
described in the air bill as general laboratory supplies. During
handling at Lan Chile, one of the packages broke open, exposing its
hazardous contents. Many of the bottles inside the box had hazmat
labels affixed. MGC sells laboratory and medical supplies, including
chemicals used in medical laboratory work, to hospitals and medical
clinics throughout Latin America.
Randa Michelson, a
former employee of Mid-America Express, Inc., Chatsworth, GA, was
sentenced in U. S. District Court in Minneapolis, MN, after earlier
pleading guilty to participating in a conspiracy to transport
undeclared hazardous materials by truck. The chemicals, which should
have been labeled as hazardous, included hydrogen peroxide and sodium
hydroxide, which can cause skin burns and irritation to the
respiratory tract. Michelson was sentenced to 3 years’ probation and
150 hours of community service. She was charged in Biloxi, MS, in 2001
with co-defendant Jack Weaver. She then moved to Minnesota and was
allowed to enter her guilty plea there. Weaver was fined $1,000 in
2002. OIG conducted the investigation jointly with the FBI and EPA.
Quick Transportation,
Inc., a trucking company operating out of Michigan City, IN and
Stockton, CA, was fined $100,000 and put on 36 months’ probation by a
U.S. District Court judge in Sacramento for unlawfully transporting
compressed nitrogen military decoy flares. The flares can become
dangerous projectiles under extreme heat or pressure and must be
shipped under constant surveillance. Although Quick received a bill of
lading identifying the shipment as hazardous and specifying the need
for surveillance, the company created new paperwork that deliberately
omitted the hazard. Quick then trucked the shipment to an intermediary
firm, which delivered the container to Union Pacific Railroad for
transport to California. The flares were discovered when the train
derailed near Lodi, CA in January 1998. The decoys did not explode.
OIG investigated the case jointly with the Naval Criminal
Investigative Service, FBI, FRA, FMCSA, and RSPA.
return to
newsletter frontpage
WTO NEWS
Talks
suspended. ‘Today there are only losers.’
The Doha
Development Agenda negotiations are to be suspended because gaps
between key players remain too wide. Heads of delegations, speaking in
an informal meeting of the Trade Negotiations Committee on 24 July
2006, agreed with WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy that this will be a
setback for all members.
Mr Lamy told heads of
delegations in the informal meeting that he will recommend a “time
out” to the General Council on 27 July. He did not suggest how long
the talks will be suspended. They can only resume when progress can be
made, which in turn will require changes in entrenched positions, he
said. The suspension will apply to all negotiating groups.
Click these links for more information
News item
Statement by Pascal
Lamy at the informal Trade Negotiations Committee meeting
Audio: Statement by
Pascal Lamy at the informal Trade Negotiations Committee meeting
Audio: Highlights from
the press conference
NAFTA Rules of Origin
Revisions
As of July 1 in the United
States and Canada and July 5 in Mexico, regulations amending the NAFTA
Rules of Origin Regulations have gone into effect in the three NAFTA
countries. The revised rules affect headings and subheadings in the
following chapters:
-
18-Cocoa and cocoa products;
-
20-Prepared vegetables, fruits, nuts and other parts of plants;
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41-raw hides and skins and leather;
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45-cork;
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54-man-made filaments,
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56-wadding, felt, and nonwovens and twine, ropes, and cable made
there of;
-
67-feathers and down, artificial flowers, products of human hair;
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70-glass;
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74-copper and copper products;
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78-lead and lead products;
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79-zinc and zinc products;
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80-tin and tin products;
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81-Other base metals and products made there of;
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85-electrical machinery; and
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90-optical, photographic, measuring, and medical/surgical
instruments.
The
text of the changes is available on-line at the
Canada Gazette, published by the Canadian government.
return to
newsletter frontpage
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E V E N
T S / C L A S S E S |
Learning Technical Chinese
To help business people and engineers who need to
communicate with Chinese counterparts, UW-Madison is offering a
Technical Chinese Program. The courses offered will incorporate
language skills and cultural understanding that will help companies in
their efforts to improve existing operations in East Asia and to
develop new business opportunities. Participants can take the course
via distance education around the world. The university also offers a
Technical Japanese Program. More information is available
online. For course details, please contact
Professor James L. Davis, ph: (608) 262-4810.
Mexico Mission Date Change
The dates of the Wisconsin Department of Commerce
Business Mission to Mexico have been changed to give participants the
opportunity to attend one of two important industry trade shows:
Enviro-Pro in Mexico City, September 27-29, and Eximueble in
Monterrey, September 28-30. The mission will also be making a stop in
Guadalajara, capital of Wisconsin’s sister-state of Jalisco. The
mission will depart Wisconsin on September 24 and return on September
30. It is open to all Wisconsin exporters interested in establishing
or expanding their sales in Mexico.
Wisconsin’s trade office in Mexico City will arrange business
appointments for mission participants with pre-qualified prospective
representatives, distributors or clients. You will have the
opportunity to travel with other local exporters, sharing expertise,
and learning best practices. For more information about the mission or
other opportunities in the Mexican market, please contact our Latin
America Specialist,
Ms. Susan Dragotta, ph: (262) 691-5147.
Benelux Business
Matchmaker Mission
The Wisconsin Department of Commerce plans to lead
a Business Matchmaker Mission to Amsterdam which will target the
entire Benelux region of Europe (Belgium, the Netherlands, and
Luxembourg) from November 8-14, 2006. The Benelux countries provide
proven and dynamic markets for Wisconsin exports and offer convenient
shipping and logistical access to the entire European Union. The
mission is open to all Wisconsin exporters interested in establishing
or expanding their sales in these countries.
For companies involved in the medical equipment/accessories or marine
equipment sectors, the mission is scheduled to give participants the
opportunity to attend one of two leading industry trade shows: METS
2006 in Amsterdam, November 14-16, is the premier European exhibition
of marine equipment and the leisure craft industry, while MEDICA 2006
in Düsseldorf, Germany, November 15-18, is the world's leading medical
trade fair. Since 2001, Wisconsin exports of medical-related
instruments to the Benelux countries have increased 55%, while exports
of pleasure boats and other marine equipment have jumped over 160%.
Wisconsin's trade office in Europe will arrange customized business
appointments with pre-qualified prospective representatives,
distributors, partners or end-users throughout the Benelux region for
mission participants. If you are interested in finding out more
information about the mission, please contact our European Specialist,
Mr. Brad Schneider, ph: (920) 420-1796.
Getting Started in
Exporting Workshop
The International AgriBusiness Center of the
Wisconsin Department of Agriculture (DATCP) is sponsoring a seminar to
help state firms determine their company's export readiness, prepare
quotes for trade leads, price products, understand terms-of-sale and
payment, select the best method of distribution for products, and
provide export resources to assist food companies. The program will be
held on Thursday, August 10 at the DATCP office, 2811 Agriculture
Drive in Madison. For additional information, please contact
Agricultural Marketing Consultant,
Ms. Lisa Stout, ph: (608) 224-5126. Click
here to register on-line.
HOLIDAYS
Thailand - THE QUEEN'S BIRTHDAY -
August 12
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