The U.K. Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation on April 2 released a blog post covering compliance with financial sanctions in the maritime sector. The agency listed six tips to stay compliant with the sanctions, including understanding your "counterparties" and conducting "thorough due diligence." OFSI also called for "robust compliance policies and procedures" and to invest in "technology and screening tools." Companies should also conduct "ongoing training and awareness programs," stay informed about new sanctions and create environments for "collaboration and information sharing."

The U.K. on April 4 extended for five years, until Jan. 31, 2028, its antidumping duties on cast iron articles from China, the U.K. Department for International Trade announced. The duties range from 15.5% to 38.1%, with the latter rate applicable to the non-individually examined exporters. The duties cover articles "of lamellar graphite cast iron (grey iron) or spheroidal graphite cast iron (also known as ductile cast iron) and parts thereof."

The U.K.’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation on April 2 updated its general license authorizing certain transactions involving the U.K. Companies House, the government agency that maintains a register of companies incorporated in the U.K. The license authorizes certain payments between sanctioned parties and the agency.

As of April 1, U.K. exporters can no longer consider EU inputs as originating in the U.K. when exporting those goods to Canada, the U.K.’s Department for Business & Trade said this week. That “time-limited” EU cumulation provision was included in the U.K.-Canada Trade Continuity Agreement (TCA), but now that it has expired, U.K. exporters must make sure their products “meet the Rules of Origin” requirements outlined in the TCA “after this change if you want to benefit from preferential access,” the department said. Industry questions should be directed to helen.stephen@businessandtrade.gov.uk.

The European Commission on April 3 imposed antidumping duties on certain polyethylene terephthalate from China, ranging from 6.6% to 24.2%, for the next five years, the Directorate-General for Trade announced. The duties stem from an EU investigation finding that Chinese PET imports sold at "artificially low prices" were "undercutting EU industry's prices." The move finalizes and continues the provisional duties, set Nov. 27.

The Czech Republic added one entity and two people to its Russia sanctions regime March 28, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced. The entity is Voice of Europe, an allegedly pro-Russian media operation in Europe operated from the Czech Republic. The people are Viktor Medvedchuk, a former pro-Russian Ukrainian politician who allegedly bankrolls Voice of Europe, according to Reuters, and Artem Marchevskyi, the leader of Voice of Europe.

The European Commission last month updated two Russian sanctions FAQs reon the subject of state-owned enterprises, both related to insurance coverage for certain vessels and ports. The FAQs, updated March 25, explain under what scenarios EU insurers can make payments involving Russian state-owned companies, including payments directly to a port owned by one of those companies, and more.

The U.K.'s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation March 28 issued a general license allowing certain wind-down transactions and insurance-related transactions with certain vessels managed by sanctioned shipping company Active Denizcilik ve Gemi Isletmeciligi Anonim Sirketi. The license also authorizes certain transactions between Active Denizcilik and insurers that help the company's vessels reach their port of discharge or a safe port to discharge cargo that was onboard as of March 28. The license expires June 11.

The U.K. on March 27 updated its guidance on how to request a change or revocation of a financial sanctions designation under its counter-terrorism sanctions regime. The updates said that sanctioned parties or their representatives should complete a sanctions review request form "as fully as possible," and that evidence from "reliable sources that can be verified and corroborated is likely to be more influential," according to the Global Sanctions blog. The guidance was also updated to say that once a party submits a request, "no further request may be made unless there is a significant matter which was not previously considered," the blog said.

The U.K. High Court of Justice on March 27 ruled that VTB Commodites, the commodities wing of sanctioned bank VTB Bank, doesn't have "any right of redemption" in escrow payments in a dispute over the ownership of vacuum gas oil (VGO) cargo.