CBP Issues WRO Against Chinese Fishing Vessel
CBP has issued a withhold release order against Zhen Fa 7, a Chinese-flagged fishing vessel, amid allegations that the ship uses forced labor to harvest seafood, the agency said in a May 28 release.
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As a result of this WRO, CBP will detain seafood products from the ship at all U.S. ports of entry.
“Combatting forced labor is central to CBP’s mission to protect the economic security of the United States,” CBP Acting Commissioner Pete Flores said. “The President recently charged us to restore American seafood competitiveness by combatting unfair trade practices, and issuing this order is one way we are contributing to that goal.”
CBP said it identified the following International Labour Organization forced labor indicators during its investigation of Zhen Fa 7: abuse of vulnerability, isolation, retention of identity documents, abusive working and living conditions, physical and sexual violence, and debt bondage.
The agency currently oversees and enforces 52 WROs and nine findings under the code prohibiting importation of goods made with convict labor. This WRO is the sixth that CBP has issued on a fishing vessel since 2020, it said.