On September 13, 2024, the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) revealed several updates regarding China 301 tariffs, following public input on its notice dated May 28, 2024. The actions include new and increased tariffs on 382 products across various sectors, including electric vehicle batteries, semiconductors, medical supplies, and critical minerals. These tariff changes are set to […]

After entering an official lockout yesterday, Canada rail operations are expected to resume after the Canadian Government ordered the CPKC and CN to enter binding arbitration. The action came 16 hours after Teamsters’ workers were locked out over the labor agreement impasse. CPKC has not released an official statement, but CN said it would resume […]

As we alluded to in our Flash yesterday, today the Canadian National (CN) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) initiated a lockout of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC), impacting approximately 9,000 workers, including conductors and engineers. There has been no indication of when a resolution might be reached or how long the lockout could […]

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The CBP must have seen our Shap Flash yesterday about not including information on the extension of current 301 exclusions because they announced them today! The exclusions previously set to expire on May 31st, 2024 have all been extended for 20 days through June 14th, to allow for a transition period due to changes. Please […]

There is an update to the Section 301 tariff increases. As expected, the USTR has published in the Federal Register requests for comments on the proposed modifications to the Section 301 Chinese tariffs and the exclusion process for certain products. The three categories under review are: Comments on the proposal may be submitted via the USTR’s […]

We are excited to share that Baltimore officials have announced the opening of a new 35-foot-deep channel at the city’s port, starting today. This development is part of ongoing efforts to restore operations after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge last month. The channel will accommodate “commercially essential vessels,” including five of the […]

Logistics contingency plans are just a fancy way of conveying the importance of businesses being prepared when the ship hits the fan—like if the Ever Given lodges itself at the Suez Canal or a viral pandemic hits planet Earth like a meteor, somehow super-charging global consumerism.  In 2021, an estimated 40% of all global ocean […]

All major steamship lines have announced re-routings to avoid Houthi attacks in the Red Sea. Thus, many US-bound vessels will not be able to transit the Suez Canal and will be routed via the Cape of Good Hope around the African continent. While most announcements include mentions of a 10-14-day delays, we’d like to highlight some […]

Editor’s Note: First, let us say that the humanitarian impacts and terrifying possibilities of a raging geopolitical storm leading to a global conflict are what really matter when eyeing Gaza. That is a concern well beyond this blog! We write this in the spirit of the annual budgets we are preparing (or will soon be […]

The Office of U.S. Trade Representative, USTR, previously announced that multiple Section 301 tariff exclusions would remain in effect until September. Yesterday the USTR announced that they will extend existing China 301 tariff exclusions until December 31st, 2023. There are two main sets of exclusions: one set of 77 COVID-related exclusions and another set of […]