American Shipper reports that to cover the extra risk associated with the deferred payment of customs duties under the new periodic payment system, surety companies are raising the premiums on performance bonds used by importers and their brokers to guarantee duties will be paid to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The article notes one surety's view that for a typical importer that imports on a fairly regular schedule, they are looking at five times the credit risk for the same series of transactions. (American Shipper, August 2004)

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a notice announcing that the third 2003/2004 specialty sugar tariff-rate quota (TRQ) provided for in HTS Chapter 17, Additional U.S. Note (AUSN) 5, which opened on August 10, 2004, oversubscribed at opening moment. According to CBP, the pro rata percentage is 38.58% (.3858).

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a notice informing truck carriers of the compliance dates for transmitting advance electronic information to CBP for cargo they are bringing into the U.S., as mandated by the Trade Act of 2002 and a December 5, 2003 final rule.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued an administrative message announcing that as of August 16, 2004, there was a reorganization of commodity specialist teams at JFK Airport. Details of the reorganization, including new phone numbers for al the teams, are provided in JFK Informational Pipeline No. 04-018, copies of which have already been boxed to brokers as of August 13, 2004. (Administrative message dated 08/13/04, availablefromBP by emailing documents@brokerpower.com.)

On August 2, 2004, seven non-vessel operating common carrier (NVOCC) petitioners and national trade associations¹ motioned for leave to submit joint supplemental comments to the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) for each of eight pending petitions², requesting expedited adoption of a conditional exemption for NVOCCs from the tariff publication and enforcement provisions that are set forth in the Shipping Act of 1984, as amended, and the corresponding regulations in 46 CFR Part 520.

Shippers' NewsWire reports that in his speech accepting the Democratic Party's nomination for president, John Kerry opined that the U.S. should not be letting 95% of container ships come into U.S. ports without being physically inspected, and stated that if in office, he would strengthen homeland security by possibly requiring closer scrutiny for more imports of ocean containers. (American Shipper, dated 07/30/04, ShippersNewsWire@americanshipper.com)

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued an administrative message stating that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has advised that its Operational and Administrative System for Import Support (OASIS) would be down for emergency maintenance on Wednesday, July 28, 2004 for approximately two hours from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. EDT.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted to its Web site various materials related to the June 28- July 1, 2004 meeting of the Trade Support Network (TSN).

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued six notices requesting written comments from the public and other federal agencies by August 9, 2004 regarding the following changed and unchanged information collections that it submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval and extension:

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted to its Web site a notice announcing a "special import quota" which specifies a quota of 25,702,401 kg for upland cotton purchased not later than October 12, 2004 and entered under HTS 9903.52.13. The quota period is July 15, 2004 through January 10, 2005; the opening date is July 15, 2004 at 12 noon, E.S.T., or its equivalent in other time zones.