The Agricultural Marketing Service released the Ocean Shipping Container Availability Report (OSCAR) for the week of Oct. 3-9. The weekly report contains data on container availability for westbound transpacific traffic at 18 intermodal locations in the U.S.¹ from the eight member carriers of the Westbound Transpacific Stabilization Agreement (WTSA).² Although the report is compiled by AMS, it covers container availability for all merchandise, not just agricultural products.

In connection with the Department of Justice’s investigation into a network that illegally exported microelectronics to Russia for use by the Russian military and intelligence services, the Bureau of Industry and Security is adding 164 persons under 165 entries to the Entity List. The additions consist of one person under Belize; 13 persons under Canada; two persons under Cyprus; one person under Estonia; 11 persons under Finland; five persons under Germany; one person under Greece; two persons under Hong Kong; one person under Kazakhstan; 119 persons under Russia; two persons under Sweden; and seven persons under the United Kingdom, including six persons located in the British Virgin Islands.

The Justice Department charged 11 members of a Russian military procurement network that operated in the U.S. and Russia, as well as a Texas-based export company and a Russian military procurement firm with illegally exporting high-tech microelectronics from the U.S. to Russian military and intelligence agencies, it said. Alexander Fishenko, owner of the Texas firm and an executive at the Russian company, was also charged with operating as an unregistered agent of the Russian government inside the U.S. by illegally procuring the high-tech microelectronics on behalf of the Russian government.

The Export-Import Bank of the U.S. plans to ask about 300 U.S. exporters and commercial lending institutions that have used Ex-Im Bank's short-, medium-, and long-term programs over the previous calendar year to participate in the online survey to evaluate the competitiveness of Ex-Im Bank's programs and how they compare to those of foreign credit agencies, it said in a Federal Register notice. The bank estimates the 150 will each spend 35 minutes on the form, and it seeks comments on the paperwork burden. The survey form is (here). Comments should be received by Nov. 5 via WWW.REGULATIONS.GOV or by mail to Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, 725 17th Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20038 Attn: OMB 3048-0004.

The U.S. Export-Import Bank authorized a $118 million loan to Vietnam for the export of a Lockheed Martin telecommunications satellite. The loan financed $215 million in export sales, the bank said. The satellite VINASAT-2, launched May 15, features a payload of 24 active Ku-band transponders and it provides coverage to Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand, the bank said. The Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Group plans to "satisfy the growing demand of telecommunications and television markets emerging in the region," it added

The International Trade Administration launched an “Environmental Solutions Exporter Portal” Oct. 1 on its export.gov website. The portal is the first fruit of the U.S. Environmental Export Initiative, a cooperative effort between the ITA, Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Trade Representative, and Department of Agriculture. “Our private sector partners have told us they need one place where they can go to find information on federal programs that support U.S. environmental exports,” said ITA Under Secretary Francisco Sanchez. “This Portal now provides that resource.”

The U.S. export control regime places companies at a “serious disadvantage” in the international nuclear energy export market, said the Nuclear Energy Institute in a report on nuclear export challenges. The report compared nuclear energy trade regimes in five leading supplier regimes with the U.S. export control regime. “Compared to the nuclear export control regimes of Russia, Japan, ROK and France, the U.S. regime is, in many respects, more complex, restrictive and time-consuming to navigate and fulfill,” the report said.

The Bureau of Industry and Security barred Anna Fermanova’s export privileges for five years in connection with her conviction for violating the Arms Export Control Act by exporting a night vision weapon sight to Russia without the required license. The item was listed on the U.S. munitions list, but Fermanova didn’t get State Department authorization for the export. Fermanova was sentenced in October 2011 to four months of prison and four months of house arrest for the crime, as well as a $1,000 fine. The Plano, Texas, woman was released from prison in May. BIS also revoked all licenses outstanding at the time of her conviction.

The Bureau of Industry and Security denied Phillip Andro Jamison’s export privileges for ten years, or until Nov. 4, 2021, because of his 2011 conviction for violating the Arms Export Control Act by exporting U.S. Munitions List items without obtaining a Department of State license. Jamison exported a holographic weapon sight to the United Kingdom without State Department permission. BIS also revoked all licenses issued to Jamison. Jamison is still serving his 30 month sentence, and was ordered to pay a $172,221 fine.

The Bureau of Industry and Security denied Jirair Avanessian’s export privileges for ten years as a result of the California man’s conviction for violating export control laws. The Denial Order will be in effect until July 6, 2021. In 2011, Avanessian was sentenced to 18 months in prison and a $10,000 for violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act by exporting vacuum pumps to Iran via the United Arab Emirates. Avanessian was released in December 2011. BIS also revoked all export licenses in which Avanessian had an interest at the time of his conviction.