On Friday, March 23, 2018, the President signed into law H.R. 1625 (Public Law 115-141), the “Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018,” which in addition to providing full-year federal appropriations through September 30, 2018, extended GSP with retroactivity, for goods entered or withdrawn from a warehouse for consumption from January 1, 2018 through December 31, 2020. The new law, effective April 22, 2018, also provided for the retroactive refund of all duties (without interest) to the importer of record (IOR) on GSP-eligible goods entered during the January 1, 2018 through April 21, 2018 lapse period.
News / 2018
Canadian Pacific Railway Limited (CP) announced that a new labor agreement was reached with both the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference – Train & Engine (TCRC) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), averting the potential work stoppage scheduled for 12:01am EDT April 21. CP’s embargoes for shipments routing to and from CP Canadian locations were canceled and CP immediately executed a safe and structured start-up of its train operations in Canada. The CP Customer Service Team is available to answer questions.
For more information, please contact your local MIQ Logistics representative.
The Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration has again implemented traffic control measures over the Yangtze River waterway from April 21 through April 23 due to restricted visibility of less than 500 meters. Shanghai arrivals and departures, and sailing schedules will be impacted for the next six days, resulting in a compounding effect on sailing schedules from main ports in China.
For more information, please contact your local MIQ Logistics representative.
Canadian Pacific Railway Limited (CP) announced that the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference – Train & Engine (TCRC) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) have delivered a 72-hour notice of their respective plans to strike on April 21, 2018 at 12:01am EDT. The two unions represent over 3,300 engineers, conductors, signal and communication workers.
Dense fog has hampered vessel and port operations for Shanghai and Ningbo ports during the past three weeks, resulting in lengthy vessel delays, significant port congestion, outbound vessels unable to depart, and inbound vessels unable to dock. Operations have been further impacted by the implementation of Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration traffic control measures on the Yangtze River waterway. Average vessel delays of three to four days, up to a week, have been experienced.
The latest United States Trade Representative (USTR) proposed application of an additional 25% duty covering more than 1300 import tariff classifications including: medicaments; pumps and valves; machinery for the oil and gas, agriculture, food, beverage, and apparel industries; motors; generators; trucks; bulldozers; railway cars; automobiles; helicopters; airplanes; boats; and consumer products such as dishwashers, microwaves, TVs, and VCRs. The list of products, defined by 8-digit subheadings of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS), is set out in the Annex to the Federal Register Notice (click here).
Source: National Retail Federation
Imports at the nation’s major retail container ports are expected to grow a healthy 5.8 percent year-over-year this month but could be threatened in the future if the developing trade war between the United States and China continues to escalate, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released today by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.
“Tariffs are a tax on American consumers in the form of higher prices but they are also a tax on American jobs,” NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold said. “If tariffs ultimately lead to a reduction in imports and exports, that will put dockworkers and countless others in the supply chain out of work. American consumers and workers should not be punished for China’s wrongdoing.”
The United States Trade Representative (USTR) has proposed another $50B worth of 25% tariffs on China imports, to which China has responded with 25% tariffs on another 106 American products.
On Friday March 23rd, President Trump signed the omnibus spending bill which included language for Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) renewal. GSP will be reinstated on April 23rd (30 days after enactment) and valid through December 31st, 2020. GSP will also apply retroactively to entries from January 1st through the reinstatement date.
Source: Institute for Supply Management
Economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in March, and the overall economy grew for the 107th consecutive month, say the nation’s supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM® Report On Business®.