The Federal Maritime Commission is investigating the Mediterranean Shipping Company for violating U.S. shipping regulations, including by using “overbroad” merchant clauses in its bills of lading, mishandling fees and failing to publish tariff rates. The agency may fine MSC if it determines the carrier violated the Shipping Act.
The National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America, which has complained that an end-of-year deadline for mandatory submissions to FDA on cosmetic product facility registrations and product listings is too rushed, said the draft guidance from the agency (see 2308080040) is inadequate to help importers comply.
The Federal Maritime Commission is investigating the Mediterranean Shipping Company for violating U.S. shipping regulations, including by using “overbroad” merchant clauses in its bills of lading, mishandling fees and failing to publish tariff rates. The agency may fine MSC if it determines the carrier violated the Shipping Act.
FDA this week released new draft guidance covering obligations when submitting cosmetic product facility registrations and product listings to the agency. The guidance outlines the various registration and product facility requirements for certain facilities, including import facilities, such as who is responsible for making the submissions, what information to include in the submissions, when to make the submissions and more.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from last week in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
Although CBP is not setting limits on fees levied by continuing education accreditors, the agency wants to make sure accreditors aren't taking advantage of customs brokers who need to earn the credits, said Elena Ryan, CBP special adviser for programs and policy analysis.
A suspected June cyberattack on Livingston International highlighted the need for customs brokers to prepare for a potential breach, which could disrupt their operations and cut off communication with CBP and clients, industry experts said in interviews. They said brokers should formulate a detailed plan for how to respond, which may include hiring subcontractors, notifying customers and quickly reporting to federal agencies.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's new automated message process for plants, vegetables and fruit imports (see 230707001) will help importers know more quickly if they have submitted a species or subspecies that doesn't exist, and, if accurate data is submitted ahead of arrival, should help cargo get released more quickly.
Importers should be careful when combining several goods into a single shipment, which can save them money in fees but also present some complications, Flexport executives said during an Aug. 2 webinar hosted by the company.