CBP has posted an updated version of its points of contact document for the Remote Location Filing program. The document lists the port name; port code; and contact name, phone number, and fax number.
CBP said the third quarter 2012 (July 1 - Sept. 30) Internal Revenue Service interest rates used to calculate interest on overdue accounts (underpayments) and refunds (overpayments) of customs duties are: 2% for overpayments by corporations; 3% for overpayments by non-corporations; and 3% for underpayments. These rates are unchanged from the corresponding rates in effect for the second quarter of calendar year 2012. The CBP Federal Register notice ran June 26.
CBP said the joint pilot conducted with the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) to test the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) e-Manifest: Rail and Sea (M1) functionality was a success. The Coast Guard became the first Participating Government Agency (PGA) to successfully navigate ACE M1 in production during a series of operational trials in May piloted in Charleston, SC, said CBP. The trials will result in better targeting capability of high risk cargo, improved communication to the trade community, and greater border security.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection issued the following releases on commercial trade and related issues:
CBP seized nearly 5,000 pounds of marijuana June 16, worth nearly $2.5 million, hidden in a shipment of watermelons, the agency said in a press release. Officers at the Mariposa Cargo facility in Arizona referred a 26-year-old male Mexican national for a secondary inspection of his tractor-trailer load of melons, said CBP. A physical inspection of the shipment revealed 674 bundles of marijuana weighing almost 5,000 pounds, co-mingled with the shipment. The marijuana had been disguised as melons and was verified by a CBP narcotics detection canine. The tractor-trailer, drugs, and produce were processed for seizure. The driver was arrested and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
CBP said when rail line release entry banks fall to 1% remaining, train manifests may fail. This will result in cargo disruptions and may force rail carriers to remove shipments from inbound trains, CBP said in a CSMS message. CBP recommended that at all ports filers retain a sufficient reserve to operate for 1 week at normal volume and that to monitor usage of these entry numbers to determine when you fall below this threshold. Self filers should contact CBP at the port to verify the status of their rail entry banks.
CBP released the focus on the remaining Webinars on the "Role of the Broker." CBP had previously released the dates of the Webinars, but not all of the subjects.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection released its June 20 Customs Bulletin. While the Bulletin does not contain any ruling articles, it does list recent general notices and Court of International Trade decisions.
CBP's Office of International Trade issued a May 1 memo to give guidance to CBP on protecting revenue when a port believes a transaction secured through a continuous bond would jeopardize the revenue due to AD/CVD concerns. Additional revenue protection can be achieved through cash payment with live entry or obtaining additional security through a Single Transaction Bond (STB), said CBP.
A listing of recent antidumping and countervailing duty messages from the International Trade Administration posted to CBP's web site as of June 19, along with the case number(s) and CBP message number, is provided below. The messages are available by searching on the listed CBP message number at http://addcvd.cbp.gov. (CBP occasionally adds backdated messages without otherwise indicating which message was added. ITT will include a message date in parentheses in such cases.)