Ascent Global Logistics Blog

Believe it or not, it is still possible to ship items ahead of Chinese New Year. Starting on February 5, 2019, all manufacturing in and shipping to and from Asian ports will be affected by the celebration of Chinese New Year. Ports in Asia could continue to see delays up to one month after Chinese New Year.

Earlier this month, a fire broke out on the Hapag-Lloyd vessel Yantian Express as it departed from the Canadian port of Halifax. Attempts to extinguish the fire were immediate, but weather hampered the efforts. Now, Hapag-Lloyd has formally declared General Average on its fire-stricken vessel and has diverted the vessel to the Bahamas for salvage purposes.  
 
General Average is a principle of maritime law with ancient origins, requiring all parties with cargo on the vessel to proportionally contribute to the total loss based on the voluntary sacrificed cargo and vessel’s value. Shippers who did not purchase cargo insurance for their cargo would be held responsible for payment to the ocean carrier. 

As the longest United States government shutdown in history continues, importers, exporters and trade agencies are beginning to feel the impacts. Typically, organizations such as the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) and US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) would be in high gear. However, many of these agencies are operating at reduced capacity due to the discontinuation of non-essential services.

As the new year begins, many will make New Year’s resolutions to save money, lose weight, get in shape, travel more, read more books, learn a skill or hobby and a whole host of other goals. But New Year’s resolutions don’t have to just apply to personal health and wellness.

United States Trade Representative (USTR) issued a Federal Register notice today to delay collection of 25 percent S301 duty rate on List 3 goods until March 2, 2019. Click here to see the official statement from the USTR.

The anticipated 25 percent tariff increase scheduled for January 1, 2019 is in current delay by the Trump administration, however, shippers have been actively moving billions of dollars of goods into US ports for several weeks to arrive before January 1, 2019.

Each product that is imported into the United States and cleared through Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is required to be classified based on The Harmonized Tariff System of the United States. Those classifications are the responsibility of the importer (19 U.S.C. 1484), since they have firsthand knowledge of what the article is, what it is made of, how it is manufactured and the end use.

With several proposed tariff lists that are slated to go into effect, now is the time to start thinking about gaining visibility and improving efficiency within your supply chain.

Let’s face it: getting money back is not always “common cents.” While Duty Drawback can be accessible, it is still a very long and complex process to receive Duty Drawback from your import activities. However, the right blend of technology and people can help!

While the trade world has been focusing on the S232 and S301 remedy tariffs, the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill of 2018 has been quietly implemented. This has allowed for a temporary reduction or suspension of import tariffs paid on particular imported items into the United States.