A Canadian government plan to increase the low value shipment (LVS) threshold to CAN$2,500 and align it with the U.S. threshold won cheers from the Retail Council of Canada. The LVS threshold affects all commercial and casual goods entering Canada through the Canada Border Service Agency's commercial processes, RCC said. The previous threshold for expedited clearance was for goods under $1,600. Raising the limit will help cut backlogs, which can cause headaches for retailers, particularly smaller ones, said RCC President Diane Brisebois. When today’s consumer wants a product, it must be supplied immediately, she said.
Dugie Standeford
Dugie Standeford, European Correspondent, Communications Daily and Privacy Daily, is a former lawyer. She joined Warren Communications News in 2000 to report on internet policy and regulation. In 2003 she moved to the U.K. and since then has covered European telecommunications issues. She previously covered the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration and intellectual property law matters. She has a degree in psychology from Duke University and a law degree from the University of Tulsa College of Law.
Oracle announced new releases of its Transportation Management and Global Trade Management tools. The releases include new capabilities such as enhanced fleet management; transportation sourcing, business intelligence and planning; freight payment, billing and claims; and document and customs management. The releases will help customers boost business growth and market expansion by cutting transportation costs, increasing operational efficiency, improving customer service, decreasing supply chain lead times and mitigating supply chain/trade compliance risks, Oracle said. The latest releases combine “new capabilities such as specialized mobile applications with enhancements to the industry's most comprehensive transportation and global trade management platforms,” said Oracle Vice President-Logistics Product Strategy Derek Gittoes.
Airlines for America (A4A) continues to support the new Federal Aviation Administration pilot duty and rest time rule, but doesn't want it extended beyond passenger airlines to all-cargo carriers. This is the safest period in aviation history, and the new rule puts safe operation of passenger and cargo airlines first for customers and crew, President Nicholas Calio said. All stakeholders participated in the FAA rulemaking, and legislation proposed by Congressmen Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.) and Tim Bishop (D- N.Y.) to broaden the regulation “is ill-advised with no basis in science or relevant data,” A4A said.
The Federal Maritime Commission said the following have filed applications for a license as a Non-Vessel-Operating Common Carrier (NVO) and/or Ocean Freight Forwarder (OFF)-Ocean Transportation Intermediary (OTI) pursuant to section 19 of the Shipping Act of 1984. The FMC also gave notice of the filing of applications to amend an existing OTI license or the qualifying individual for a license. Interested persons may contact the Office of Transportation Intermediaries, Federal Maritime Commission, Washington, D.C. 20573, at 202-523-5843 or at OTI@fmc.gov.
The current customs system to deal with risks at EU borders doesn't uniformly address security and safety risks across the external border, the European Commission said Tuesday. It approved a strategy for customs risk management and the security of the supply chain intended to enable customs authorities to better tackle the risks associated with goods traded in international supply chains. The EC proposed several actions: (1) Traders should make quality data available at the right time, in the right place for effective risk management. (2) There must be deeper engagement with companies moving goods across borders. (3) Risk management must be implemented uniformly throughout the EU external borders. (4) More structure and systematic cooperation between customs and other authorities is needed. (5) There should be better international cooperation with the EU's main trading partners. EU external trade grew by around 50 percent from 2004-2010, the EC said. While most of that trade is legal, illicit trade is estimated at nearly 10 percent of the global economy. With global trading on the rise, “the challenge to stop a bomb, contaminated good or smuggled goods is becoming increasingly complex.”
Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the following voluntary recalls:
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission intends to prepare an environmental assessment (EA) on the Sabine Pass Liquifaction Modification Project involving the modification of facilities for Sabine Pass Liquefaction LLC and Sabine Pass LNG for export of liquefied natural gas, it announced. The project facilities described are proposed to support the Sabine Pass facilities previously authorized. FERC will use the EA to determine whether the project is in the public convenience and necessity.
The U.S. Coast Guard wants to revise several vessel inspection and certification rules to align them with a statutory definition of “seagoing barge” and with an exemption from inspection and certification requirements for some seagoing barges, it said in a Federal Register notice scheduled for Jan. 9. The proposed changes are intended to eliminate ambiguity in existing regulation, reduce the potential for confusion among the regulated public, and help the Coast Guard perform its maritime safety and stewardship missions, it said.
The following individuals have been added to OFAC's SDN List:
The Export Import Bank of the U.S. seeks comment on proposed information collection forms, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.