Congress should amend shipping regulations to give the Federal Maritime Commission jurisdiction over certain fees assessed by railroads under ocean bills of lading, more than 70 trade groups, including the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America, said in a May 2 letter to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. The groups said those charges should be billed through the contracting carrier and be subject to demurrage and detention invoicing requirements that were included as part of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act.
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NEW ORLEANS -- Federal Maritime Commissioner Max Vekich signaled he’s open to a further expansion of FMC authority, including potentially allowing the FMC to scrutinize certain rail storage fees.
NEW ORLEANS -- Federal Maritime Commissioner Max Vekich signaled he’s open to a further expansion of FMC authority, including potentially allowing the FMC to scrutinize certain rail storage fees.
NEW ORLEANS -- Although CBP launched a pilot program in January to accept certain electronic filings for used self-propelled vehicles exports (see 2212160021), some ports aren’t recognizing the pilot, said Donna Kavanaugh, compliance manager for A.N. Deringer. Speaking during the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America’s annual conference this week, Kavanaugh said exporters are encountering ports that either aren’t familiar with the pilot or “don't have a desire to participate.” She urged exporters to ask their ports to participate in the pilot and “share with them the links” to the pilot announcement.
NEW ORLEANS -- CBP is considering “several plans” to modernize its export penalty process, including one that could allow the agency to issue penalty notices electronically instead of through physical mail, said Brian Semeraro, chief of CBP’s outbound enforcement policy branch. Semeraro, speaking during the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America’s annual conference this week, said CBP is looking at “different ways to utilize the electronic petition processes,” which could reduce “the constant mail back and forth.”
Window Opening for Export Provisions in Customs Bill as CBP, Census Address Clerical Error Penalties
NEW ORLEANS -- The time may be coming soon to incorporate exporter priorities in upcoming customs modernization legislation, including provisions addressing clerical errors, as CBP and the Census Bureau also work to include language on clerical errors in penalty mitigation guidelines, CBP officials said during a panel discussion April 26.
NEW ORLEANS -- Charge complaints before the Federal Maritime Commission are increasingly trending toward significant settlements or awards, industry officials said, urging shippers to file complaints if they believe they’re facing unfair carrier practices. Carriers are choosing to settle rather than draw the FMC’s attention, they said, especially for complaints involving demurrage or detention fees.
NEW ORLEANS -- While a CBP pilot on pipeline imports may not at first glance have relevance for many importers, the ramifications of the pilot could have wide-ranging effects for importers and customs brokers as CBP applies any lessons learned to its development of ACE 2.0, according to Amy Magnus of A.N. Deringer.
NEW ORLEANS -- The National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America is preparing to ask Congress to allow the Federal Maritime Commission to exercise jurisdiction over certain rail storage fees. NCBFAA is drafting a letter to Reps. John Garamendi, D-Calif., and Dusty Johnson, R-S.D. -- the two House authors of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act -- that could ask the lawmakers to require the FMC to more forcefully regulate rail-assessed demurrage fees charged on ocean containers traveling inland.