The International Federal of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) approved the multilateral electronic Air Waybill (e-AWB) standard, allowing for airlines to use a single agreement with IATA to use e-AWBs, the associations said in a press release. Final consent was reached with the approval by the IATA Cargo Services Conference March, the release said.
Customs Rulings Online Search System (CROSS) was updated March 25 with 134 rulings, bringing the total number of searchable rulings to 176,541. The most recent ruling is dated 03/22/2013.
The PortMiami Perishables Committee is preparing a letter to send to CBP headquarters to express concern for the effects of sequestration perishables at the port, according to a Florida Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association email. The letter would also be sent to the Florida Congressional Delegation and the Office of U.S. Trade Representative. "Because of the limited shelf life and time sensitivity related to delivery of these products, perishables must be inspected in an efficient and timely manner," the letter says. "Cuts to CBP staffing will harm our nation's economy. With the imminent furlough of CBP workers, there is a significant possibility that fresh fruit, vegetables, flowers, and other products will face time delays at South Florida ports, damaging products and negatively affecting importers, merchants, and consumers alike." Congress and the administration should work to make sure perishables continue to be safely and efficiently process, as the toll for slowing the supply chain of perishable products would be "immediate and severe," it said.
Convenience isn't enough of a reason for CBP to allow for a single entry for two halves of a machine arriving on separate carriers, the agency said in a March 22 ruling (HQ H234076). Sidel Canada asked CBP to rule whether the two pieces of a Combi machine, a beverage bottling machine, are eligible to be entered in a single entry. Sidel Canada would like to ship the two halves from different parts of Europe, rather than deal with the logistical and regulatory burdens of assembling the parts within Europe before shipping.
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 reissued OTI licenses. 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.
Trade using surface transportation between the U.S. and Canada and Mexico was up 6.2 percent in 2012 compared to 2011, reaching $960 billion, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics of the U.S. Department of Transportation. That's the highest annual amount of surface trade since NAFTA went into effect in 1994, said BTS. U.S. imports by surface mode increased 5.6 percent in 2012 from 2011, while surface-based exports increased 6.9 percent during the same period, it said.
The Supreme Court denied a petition from the Ancient Coin Collectors Guild (ACCG) that sought high court review of restrictions to importing certain antique coins. The ACCG filed the suit against CBP and others after the agency seized Cypriot and Chinese coins imported by ACCG to test restrictions under the Cultural Property Implementation Act. ACCG filed the request in February (see 13021902) after an appeals court judge sided with the government about the legality of the restrictions (see 12102420).
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related issues:
CBP posted a March 25 version of its CF 1400 (Record of Vessel in Foreign Trade Entrances) electronic query report of the Vessel Management System (VMS), in accordance with 19 CFR 4.95, organized by entrances. CBP also posted a version of its CF 1401 (Record of Vessel in Foreign Trade Clearances) electronic query report of the VMS, in accordance with 19 CFR 4.95, organized by clearances.
CBP issued its weekly tariff rate quota and tariff preference level commodity report as of March 25. This report includes TRQs on various products such as beef, sugar, dairy products, peanuts, cotton, cocoa products, and tobacco; and certain BFTA, DR-CAFTA, Israel FTA, JFTA, MFTA, OFTA, SFTA, UAFTA (AFTA) and UCFTA (Chile FTA) non-textile TRQs etc. Each report also includes the AGOA, ATPDEA, BFTA, DR-CAFTA, CBTPA, Haitian HOPE, MFTA, NAFTA, OFTA, SFTA, and UCFTA TPLs and TRQs for qualifying textile articles and/or other articles; the TRQs on worsted wool fabrics, etc.