CBP released its May 31 Customs Bulletin (Vol. 57, No. 21), which includes the following ruling actions:
Noah Garfinkel
Noah Garfinkel, Assistant Editor, is a reporter for International Trade Today. Noah joined Warren Communication News in early 2023 covering customs, the Federal Maritime Commission and export controls. Noah’s background is in breaking news, reporting and research. Noah most recently worked for a year with Axios as a part of a fellowship program. Noah is a graduate of the University of Michigan with a B.A. in History.
CBP will expand its preliminary hold notification benefit for Trade Compliance program members of the Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT) to include withhold release orders (WROs) and forced labor findings, the agency announced in a May 30 letter to CTPAT participants. Preliminary hold notifications were first offered as a benefit for Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) holds back in March (see 2304260045).
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has posted a Cut Flower Name Validation List to its website for filers to verify spellings in the APHIS core partner government agency (PGA) message set. The list provides genus, species and subspecies names along with corresponding common names to be used in the ACE data elements, APHIS said in a May 30 news release. The list also provides acceptable spellings for listed names and the corresponding Integrated Taxonomic Information Systems (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN) and APHIS ID (APID) number, APHIS said. Software developers can download and integrate the PG10 category AP0800 cut flowers into the Automated Broker Interface software, which will help create a single standardized submission list for importers of cut flowers, the agency said.
The Federal Maritime Commission last week approved a settlement agreement between U.S. metal trader CCMA and major ocean carrier Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC). The confidential settlement stems from a December CCMA complaint alleging MSC assessed it $114,000 in unfair detention and demurrage fees (see 2212080020). MSC denied those allegations, saying CCMA lacked "meritorious factual basis" for its claims (see 2301090017).
CBP intends to distribute assessed antidumping or countervailing duties for fiscal year 2023 under the Continued Dumping and Subsidy Offset Act of 2000 (CDSOA), it said in a notice. Certifications to obtain a continued dumping and subsidy offset under a particular AD/CVD order or finding must be received by July 31.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
Correction: Apple, Burberry, Pfizer, the NBA and MLB are part of a data pilot under a memorandum of understanding between CBP and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to prevent the importation of counterfeit and pirated goods (see 2105270024 and 2305190036).
The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) is seeking comments by July 24 on a new data collection for "empty container volumes at intermodal locations," it said in a Federal Register notice. The data collection effort, which would implement certain parts of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022, would allow the FMC to gather information on "vessel-level tonnage as well as full and empty containers entering and leaving U.S. ports." It would also allow the Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) to collect "operational data on intermodal equipment and dwell times."
Orient Overseas Container Line denied allegations that it violated U.S. shipping regulations, saying a complaint filed by Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY) in April (see 2305010049 and 2305020019) was "an unfortunate campaign to distort and obfuscate the relevant facts, contracts and law, in order to secure an unwarranted return." The container line said neither the statements in BBBY's complaint "nor the text of the contracts themselves" support claims that OOCL breached its contracts.