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 […]

Labor Strikes Throwing Curveballs Why aren’t baseball players huge fans of labor unions? Because they don’t like to be called out on strikes! Now that we’ve “Cracker Jacked” that joke, let us take you out to the ballgame… If you haven’t checked the scoreboard lately, then you’ll be surprised to learn that the number of […]

After resuming strikes in British Columbia yesterday, ILWU workers are once again back at work today (July 20th) after a ruling from the Canada Industrial Relations Board ordered dockworkers back for failing to provide a 72-hour strike notice. The ILWU is expected to resume its strike on Saturday, July 22nd. Shapiro will continue to monitor […]

Last week, Canada’s Minister of Labour, Seamus O’Regan, and Minister of Transport, Omar Alghabra, issued a joint statement advising that the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) had accepted a joint deal with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU). However, the leadership of the ILWU has now suggested that their members vote the recommended terms down. The leadership cited […]

Last night, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) revealed they had finally reached a tentative contract agreement after 13 long months of tumultuous and turbulent negotiations. According to the announcement, both sides have informally agreed to a six-year contract that covers all 29 West Coast ports. Although the […]

The Court of International Trade (CIT) released an initial ruling in 2022 that indicated that the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) did in fact have the authority to impose Section 301 tariffs on Chinese goods. After careful deliberation, the CIT has determined that these duties placed on Chinese goods were appropriately implemented and supported. Some of […]

With consideration to the production capacity of the United States, and the country’s continuing efforts to combat COVID, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced that it would extend Section 301 tariff exclusions on 81 medical products used to treat COVID-19 until May 15, 2023.  These exclusions were formerly scheduled to expire on February 28, […]