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GSP Renewal Legislation Introduced

Legislation to renew GSP was introduced on April 16th by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR), and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Ranking Member Sander Levin (D-MI). The legislation would renew GSP through December 31, 2017, and also provide for refunds on GSP […]

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Houston Ship Channel Partially Closed After Vessel Collision

The Houston shipping channel remains partially closed after a chemical tanker, the Carla Maersk, collided with a bulk carrier, the Condi Peridot, at 12:41 p.m. Monday, March 9th.  The U.S. Coast Guard began clean-up of the methyl tetr-butyl ether (MTBE) spill creating a 4-8 mile safety zone.  MTBE, a gasoline additive, is highly flammable and dangerous if inhaled in high […]

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Brazilian Truck Drivers Protest Fuel Tax

As reported in the Wall Street Journal and Reuters, protests against a 15-centavo-per-liter ($0.20/gallon) fuel tax hike in Brazil have entered their seventh day and are spreading across the country. What originally started as an isolated protest in Mato Grosso, has quickly spread to six other states throughout Brazil.  Truckers are using their vehicles to block […]

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ILWU/PMA Sign Tentative Coastwide Agreement while Canada Bottlenecks

On February 20, 2015, negotiators for the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) announced a tentative five-year coastwide contract agreement.  Details of the contract are not yet available since membership of both groups must vote to ratify the agreement; a process that could take several weeks.  In the meantime, […]

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Vancouver / West Coast Labor Strike Updates

Vancouver Late on February 16th, 2015, an agreement was reached between the Canadian Pacific (CP) Railway and union locomotive representatives to enter into binding government arbitration.  The short lived strike that began Sunday is now officially over. Movement of rail cargo is expected to resume as of this morning. CP announced the federal government would […]

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Canadian Pacific Railway Could Face Weekend Strike

On Wednesday, February 11, 2015, the Canadian Pacific (CP) Railway announced that the union representing more than 3,000 of its locomotive engineers and conductors presented a strike notice for this upcoming weekend.  CP, Canada’s second largest railway, responded by advising that its managers will be ready to take over if workers walk off the job. […]

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PMA Suspends West Coast Vessel Operations during Holiday Weekend

The Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) announced the shutdown of vessel operations starting today, Thursday, February 12 (Lincoln’s Birthday), in addition to Saturday, Sunday, and Monday (Washington’s Birthday) to avoid paying longshoremen holiday or weekend pay for slow productivity that is crippling West Coast ports. While gate, rail, and yard operations will remain open per terminal operators’ […]

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Arbitration Stalls West Coast ILWU/PMA Contract Negotiations

While vessels idle offshore waiting to deliver commerce to U.S. West Coast ports, all eyes are on the contract battle between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA).  On Wednesday, February 4, 2015, James McKenna, PMA’s President and CEO, released details of a comprehensive offer in an attempt to […]

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Next Phase for Lacey Act Declaration Adds 20 More HTS Numbers

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture has published a notice in today’s Federal Register announcing the next phase of Harmonized Tariff Schedule numbers that will require a Lacey Act declaration at the time of importation starting on August 6, 2015. This is the first new phase in […]

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Early Closing (2/2) & Delayed Opening (2/3)

Please be advised that due to worsening snow and ice conditions in the New York area, our New York office will be closing early at 4:00pm today, February 2, 2015.  Phone lines will be forwarded to our Baltimore office for urgent assistance. Many New York and New Jersey marine terminals are ceasing inbound gate processing […]

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Shapiro’s Atlanta and Charleston offices closed today due to winter storm

Shapiro’s Atlanta and Charleston offices are closed today due to inclement weather.  All employees have remote access and will be available via email. To reach someone via phone: Charleston office: Call Kay McGaha, Branch Manager, on her mobile at 843-817-8340, or Billie Mullineaux, Import Manager, on her mobile at 843-696-1588. Atlanta office: Call Kathleen Robie, Branch […]

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Empty Cargo Container Shortage Threatens China Import Trade

Despite a glimmer of hope this week in the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) and International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) negotiations on the West Coast, the beleaguered West Coast import trade community is facing yet another serious crisis.  There is a growing shortage of empty containers in China to carry the unexpected high volume of […]

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Ports Announce Closures in Anticipation of Winter Weather

The NY & NJ Port Authority has released a winter weather advisory announcing that all New York and New Jersey marine terminals will close today, Monday, January 26, by 3:00 PM and remain closed Tuesday, January 27, in anticipation of winter storm Juno.  The port will make an announcement about port operations for Wednesday, January […]

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West Coast Ports Faced with Possible Lockout as Backups Mount

The shipping industry made a collective sigh of relief as word came on January 5th that Federal Mediators were being brought in to help the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) to reach a labor settlement.  Unfortunately, even with mediator assistance, no reported progress had been made.  In fact, […]

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ILWU Joins PMA in Requesting Federal Mediation

On January 5, 2015, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) joined the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) in their request to bring in federal mediation to resolve contract negotiations.  This announcement comes after eight months of the ILWU working without a contract, stalled talks between the two groups, high tensions, and rising congestion along the […]

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Shapiro and Customs offices closed on December 25-26, 2014

All Shapiro offices will be closed on December 25-26, 2014, in celebration of the holiday season.  Customs and Border Protection (CBP) offices will be closed on both days as well, following President Obama’s Executive Order designating Friday, 12/26, as a Federal holiday. All Shapiro operations will resume Monday, December 29, 2014. We wish everyone a […]

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Low Sulfur Surcharge in Effect for 2015

Stemming from a 2012 global treaty agreement to reduce sulfuric emissions along the U.S. and Canadian coastlines, carriers will begin the implementation of a Low Sulfur Surcharge (LSS) starting January 1, 2015.  The new regulation requires shipping lines to burn low-sulfur diesel fuel within the designated Emission Control Areas (ECA) and to modify vessel fuel systems […]

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G6 Alliance Halts Los Angeles Port Call

The G6 alliance announced late last week the removal of its eastbound Los Angeles port of call from their Pacific Atlantic 1 service (PA1) from rotation citing severe US West Coast port congestion.  The G6 alliance of carriers includes:  Hapag-Lloyd (who announced their merger with CSAV), NYK, APL, OOCL, MOL and Hyundai Merchant Marine.  Hapag-Lloyd’s […]

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Carriers Postpone Port Congestion Surcharges (Again) Until Further Notice

The port congestion surcharge (PCS) that has been threatening West Coast trade since mid-November has once again been suspended until further notice.  Major carriers such as Maersk, Hapag Lloyd, Evergreen, NYK, OOCL, and CMA-CGM sent out notification today, November 26, 2014, announcing the postponement.  The congestion charge, originally implemented on November 14, has been on […]

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Port Congestion Surcharge

Multiple carriers have begun announcing the implementation of port congestion fees.  Many carriers filed this surcharge in their tariffs as protection against increased operating costs associated with extreme congestion at terminals.  With the ILWU contract still not settled and mounting congestion and delays not only in Los Angeles/Long Beach but also in the Pacific Northwest, […]

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