As we approach the July 1st implementation date for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention Amendments, Shapiro wants to remind our valued export customers of the upcoming changes to the export process, particularly in regards to the determination of the Verified Gross Mass, or VGM. On July 1st, the VGM will need to be […]

Customs & Border Protection (CBP) at U.S. ports is no longer required to send requests for liquidated damages (LD) to its Headquarters for approval. Non-compliant Importer Security Filings can result in cargo holds at the port instead of, or in addition to, liquidated damage claims. Additionally, liquidated damage claims against importer bonds will no longer […]

Shapiro is fully programmed for all FDA filings and has been actively filing FDA though ACE for many months.   Under the ACE platform FDA is requiring additional, and in many cases new information, to be submitted in import entries.  Specifically all entries for FDA Food, Cosmetics and Medical Devices are affected. Below is a list […]

As of June 16, CBP will require filing in ACE of FDA entries and entry summaries under entry types 01, 03, 06, 11, 23, 51 and 52. CBP boldly stated that the Automated Commercial System (ACS) “will no longer be a CBP-authorized [electronic system] for purposes of processing these electronic filings.” While the agency concedes […]

On Wednesday, February 24, 2016, President Obama signed into law the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 (H.R. 644).  The comprehensive authorization is the first overhaul of the United States Customs and Border Protection Agency (CBP) since 2003.  The bipartisan legislation seeks to strengthen trade enforcement at ports, to fortify detection of duty […]

While U.S. exporters have voiced serious concerns over the feasibility of complying with the SOLAS Verified Gross Mass (VGM) mandate by the implementation deadline, it has now been revealed that the Coast Guard could choose to delay implementation of the mandate for up to a year provided the delay is announced prior to the July […]

On Thursday, February 11th, the U.S. Senate passed the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 (H.R. 644), the first overhaul of the United States’ Customs and Border Protection Agency in over 15 years. The legislation will give teeth to programs protecting U.S. businesses from unfair trade practices and rampant ‘trade cheats.’ The bill […]

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has been actively tracking and assessing stakeholder readiness for the mandatory filing of all electronic entries and corresponding entry summaries in the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE). While significant progress has been made, continued concerns about stakeholder readiness have necessitated an updated timeline for the mandatory transition to ACE for electronic […]

With the ACE February 28th deadline looming, many filers are reporting various technical problems involving FDA processing that are resulting in extreme issues across the board. To outline some examples: Messages are not returning to the filer’s software at all. The FDA Review is received, but there is no follow up message Rejected FDA entries […]

A settlement was reached by the International Longshoreman’s Association and the New York Stevedores Association at 7 pm on January 29th. As a result of the quick settlement, the New York and New Jersey Ports will resume normal operations on Monday, February 1st, 2016.

As of 10:53 this morning, longshoremen walked off the job at New York and New Jersey Ports due to an ongoing labor dispute. As a result, port officials are not allowing any new trucks to enter the New York and New Jersey ports. The Port Authority is doing everything in its power to resume port […]

A chemical explosion at the Santos Port in Brazil has led to the evacuation of workers and the closure of several terminals. The explosion occurred Thursday evening as more than a dozen flammable containers combusted, causing toxic smoke to be strewn across the city. Though the fire has been entirely extinguished, a large, potentially toxic […]

Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) announced a new tariff for calculating container demurrage, detention, and per diem effective December 5, 2015 for all U.S. ports. Demurrage is defined as the free time that the carrier and terminal provide for a container once it discharges the vessel or arrives at the inland rail dept. Detention is also […]

How will ACE affect AES Direct Portal for exporter? Within the coming few months, the AESDirect Portal will go live in the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE). All exporters must have an ACE account to access the new AESDirect system, to be known as Refactored AESDirect. Accounts will not transition from the existing system. The existing […]

Check out our ACE FAQ guide to help answer your import and export questions! What is ACE? The Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) is the primary system or “single window” for the international trade community to submit import and export data to communicate with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and other participating government agencies.  CBP and […]

Vessels transiting through the Panama Canal have are now experiencing up to 10 day delays as the industry struggles to understand the cause and find a solution to the deteriorating conditions. According to the Journal of Commerce, adverse weather conditions and repairs to the existing locks are contributing factors. What is certain is that carriers […]

Norfolk Southern Railway (NS) is experiencing major disruptions at its Charleston, SC gateways. Many tracks have washed out, and many bridges have been deemed unsafe for passage due to the record rainfall and heavy flooding in the area. Norfolk Southern personnel are actively surveying the area and reporting that not all gates are operational.  At […]

Ministers of the 12 Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) countries concluded trading negotiations on October 4th, completing one of the most ambitious multilateral trade deals of the last two decades and paving the way for lower tariffs and increased trade standardization throughout the Pacific Asia region. While the complete details of the 30 chapter agreement have not […]

While the Office of the US Trade Representative continues its ongoing review of the newly reauthorized Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), President Obama has issued a proclamation with the first round of revisions. Countries Removed: Seychelles, Uruguay and Venezuela have become high-income countries as defined by the official statistics of the World Bank and will […]

The President’s order “Streamlining the Export/Import Process for America’s Businesses”, dictates an electronic information exchange capability, or “single window” through which businesses will transmit data required for the importation or exportation of cargo – the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE). The Executive Order requirements by December 31, 2016:        Customs and Border Protection (CBP) […]