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Liberty International, Inc. & International Delivery Service TRADE SECRETS Yang Ming
Delivery: The Ultimate Yang Ming has taken delivery of
“The Ultimate”, an 8200 TEU Box ship, which will work the Asia
– Dimerco Conference in Dimerco Express held its yearly One important topic reviewed domestic Narita Warehouse Please be advised that Narita Line Inc Carson, Ca 90745 Phone: 310-241-7560 Fax: 310-241-7568 New
Dimerco Sales Offices: Open for Business Mr. Tony Lin, Managing Director of Dimerco Greater China has announced the opening of new
sales offices within Dimerco. Dimerco
International Transportation Co., Ltd. Jiading
Sales office. Room 1009, No.158, Shanghai, Jiading area, TEL: 86-21-5952-6939 FAX: 86-21-5952-6939 Business Development Manager – Mr. Ricky Zhou Email: Ricky_Zhou@dimerco.com Dimerco
International Transportation Co., Ltd. Qingpu
Sales office. Room 202, No.17, TEL: 86-21-5442-9097 FAX: 86-21-5442-9097 Business Development Sales Rep. Mr. Cooper Chi Email: Cooper_Chi@dimerco.com Dimerco
Zhongjing International Express Co., Ltd. Lian Yun Gang Sales office. Rm302 Tel: 86-518-2326661/2/3 Fax: 86-518-2326665 Business Development Manager – Mr. Adams Li Email: Adams_Li@dimerco.com Effective July 16, 2007: Diversified Int’l Transportation ( Room B-1503 Tel: 86-577-88988061 Fax: 86-577-88988060 Sales Supervisor – Mr. Wayne Wang Email: wayne_wang@dimerco.com Dimerco Holds
Four Day Conference and Golf Tourney Dimerco Express and its
related offices in the Orient held its first annual golf invitational in Dimerco had approximately 120 players
consisting of carriers, clients, employees and service companies. Two or
three of these invited guests were paired with one or two representatives of Dimerco. After Mr. Paul Chien hit the opening drive, the
entire group was sent out to this 6900 acre lake course to compete for a
prize list that would please any participant. Following the golf event, Dimerco was the host for approximately 160 invited guests
for dinner and the awards ceremony. International Delivery Service and OMB on Track
for Rulemaking for 10+2 The Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) appears on
track to submit the proposed
rulemaking for the so – called “10+2 Rule”, which complies
with the SAFE Port Act requiring that CBP collect additional trade data
elements on import shipments. 10+ 2 references the 10 additional data
elements to be reported by the importer and two from the carrier prior to
importation into the CBP submitted
its draft of the security filing to the OMB on November 8th, 2007.
Once signed, the next step is publication of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
in the Federal Register, followed by a 60 day public comment period. Upon
review of the comments, CBP then publishes a final rule in the Register. CPB has
stated that it plans to implement the security filing via a 9-12 month phased
compliance period. The Advance
Trade Data Initiative is also moving forward, in which several importers have
voluntarily transmitted pieces of commercial data through various pipelines
to help the agency understand the best way to file and manage the requested
data. The test activity is expected to
provide real world experience ahead of implementation so that CBP can share
lessons learned with the trade community on the best ways to file the advance
data. Report
Issued by Antitrust Commission The U.S. Antitrust Modernization Commission (AMC), created by Congress
to provide a complete and extensive report on whether antitrust laws in the
U.S. need to be modernized, recently issued a report after three years of
comprehensive analysis of steamship carrier’s exemptions. In its report, the Commission noted that the Ocean Shipping Reform Act
had reduced the ability of the liner conferences to set rates by allowing
carriers to enter service contracts with shippers, and disagrees with the
carriers’ argument that immunity is necessary to coordinate the use of
assets such as space sharing or terminal use. Indian
Ports Increase Volume by 9.5% March 31, 2007 ended fiscal year 2006 – 2007 for the ports in Mumbai and Jawaharlal Nehru had the highest growth of over 18% each,
while Kolkata and Chennai had the lowest growth
increase of all the ports. West
Coast Plans for Growth In
In
The extension
of two state roads to better connect the Port to Interstate 5, a rail project
sponsored jointly by the State and BNSF Railroad to elevate the ceiling of a
rail tunnel, and adding ventilation, track upgrades and snow sheds are on the
list of improvements In
the Pacific Northwest, a Clean
Air Initiative was released in early May, banding together the ports of According to the Northwest Regional
Administrator for the EPA, which is assisting the project, it is because
ports and intermodal facilities are in or near
major cities that protecting air quality is a top public health priority. Green Manufacturing Day – September 2007 The International Trade
Administration (ITA) organized a 'Green Manufacturing Day' for The meeting, labeled
“Enhancing U.S. Competitiveness through Sustainable Manufacturing: A
Public – Private Dialogue” included on the agenda the following
topics: • Profiting from Sustainable
Manufacturing Practices • Cost effective implementation of
sustainable manufacturing technologies and • Sustainable
manufacturing is defined by the ITA as the creation of manufactured products
that use processes that are non-polluting, conserve energy and natural
resources, are economically sound and safe for
employees, communities and consumers. If you are interested
in receiving sustainable related materials and/or in attending future events,
please contact Bill McElnea at (202) 482-2831 or
Susmanuf@mail.doc.gov. New York/New
On 10/26/07,
the Federal Maritime Commission advised that the Port of New York/New Jersey
has filed an agreement that would authorize the parties to discuss issues to
promote environmentally sensitive, efficient and secure maritime operations
at their ports. It has been reported
that the government of Intermodal development is a top
priority in the five year plan of the government, which also includes
creation of 40 intermodal terminals, 18 logistics
parks and 100 container handling terminals. RFID
Based Network for Shanghai/Savannah The Georgia
Ports Authority in conjunction with
the Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG) and Savi
Networks have announced a plan to
utilize a Radio Frequency Identification-based network to track containerized
cargo transported between the Port of Shanghai in China and the Port of
Savannah. This plan has
been named the “Shanghai-Savannah Express Trade Lane Project” and
the partners plan to utilize an electronic container seal and Global
Positioning Satellite (GPS) integrated handheld hardware to track the
containers. In addition, the project
is to be built on an open, international standards-based network platform,
which includes compatibility with ISO standards for active RFID devices and
electronic container security devices. FTC Seeks Comments on Leather Guides The Federal Trade
Commission (FTC) issued a notice requesting comments from the public on its
“Guides for Select Leather and Imitation Leather Products” as
part of a systematic review of all current FTC regulations and guides. The FTC
sought comments on the economic impact of the Guide, the continuing need for
it and possible conflicts between the Guide and state, local, federal or
international laws. The guide itself, an
interpretation of the laws administered by the FTC, covers topics such as
misrepresentations regarding the composition and characteristics of specific
leather and imitation leather products, in addition to information regarding
the manufacture, sale, distribution, marketing, or advertising of leather or
simulated leather items. According to the
notice, conduct inconsistent with the Guides may result in corrective action
by the FTC under applicable statutory provisions. For further information,
please visit: FTC notice available at
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2007/pdf/E7-9965.pdf The Expansion
of Port In Mid
October it was announced that According to online news sources, While construction
on the Panama Canal is planned to be completed by 2014, the USTR
Requests Dispute Settlement on In early July,
the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative requested the World Trade
Organization to establish a dispute settlement panel regarding Hours of
Service Rules Struck Down On July 16, a
federal appeals court struck down current regulations on the number of hours
truckers can work over a consecutive period in any week, stating that the
reasons for the hours of service rules were not properly explained. In
apparent agreement with advocacy groups, the court ruling says the new rules do not adequately address truck driver
fatigue. The new rules increased driving time
from 10 hours to 11 hours, while reducing on-duty hours in a day from 15
total hours (not counting off-duty breaks) to 14 consecutive hours (including
breaks). Final
Rule Issued by BIS The Bureau of Industry and Security has
issued a final rule which amends the Export Administration Regulations (EAR)
list of approved end users in There are now five approved end-users in
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2007/pdf/E7-21465.pdf Task Force Created on Economic Partnership
Agreement between Japan & EU A task force has been
created in (1) Tariffs and tariff
classification improvements (2) Business and
investment environment (3) Intellectual
property rights enforcements (4) Electronic commerce
improvement (5) Mechanism for
settling disputes related to EU directives The market to be
created could account for approximately 40 percent of the world's gross
domestic product. For more information
please visit: http://www.keidanren.or.jp/english/policy/2007/050.html House Hearing on The From a posting on
www.house.gov, it was reported that during the hearing, a letter from eighteen freshman Democrats
urged Chairman Charles Rangel and Subcommittee Chairman Sander Levin to
promote legislation which would ”aggressively address China’s
disregard for U.S. Trade Law”. The letter did not endorse any specific
bill, but several of the lawmakers are sponsors of a bill entitled H.R. 1229,
which would apply countervailing duties against non – market economies,
and bill H.R. 2942 which would apply countervailing duties to currency
misalignment as an illegal export subsidy.
According to the posting, the letter also criticized a recent decision
by the World Trade Organization (WTO) appellate body and their ruling against
the practice used in anti-dumping which is called Zeroing. This practice eliminates data that shows a
negative dumping margin. For the full
article please visit: http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/pa04_altmire/morenews/InsideTrade.shtml Other summaries of the
meeting note that the Bush Administration warned Congress that any
legislation aimed at pressuring APHIS
Wood Packaging Interim Rule is Finalized Effective
October 30, 2007, The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service‘s
interim rule was adopted without change. The interim rule amended 7 CFR Part
353 to clarify that an International Standards for Phytosanitary
Measures No. 15 (ISPM 15) quality/treatment mark is an industry-issued
certificate for the export of wood packaging material (WPM), and may only be
issued when the organization applying the mark has entered into an agreement
with APHIS. All solid wood
packing material entering the OTEXA
Update on The
Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA) announced new import licensing
procedures for textiles and apparel imported into ¨ Yearly
licensing to import certain textile products. License must be obtained prior to import ¨ Pre-submitted
plans for import and obtain a surveyor’s prior verification ¨ Some
items may only be done by local textile industry producers ¨ Imports
can only be used as raw material or as supplemental to the production process
Should
requirements not be met, the procedures state that the right to import will
be frozen or revoked OTEXA Offers Hot Topics OTEXA
also has made available a listing of “Hot Topics” at their
website, showing recent updates in Textile Enforcement. Some of the recent
changes include: • • • • For
complete information, searchable by date, country, etc., please visit OTEXA
online at: http://web.ita.doc.gov/otexa/hotiss.nsf/$$searches?openform FTC Signs
Consumer Protection MOU with The Federal
Trade Commission (FTC) and According to
the press release on the FTC website, the MOU will facilitate better
policy-level cooperation in consumer protection matters for both nations. It
is not a legally binding agreement and does not alter any current laws, but
is aimed at promoting an open exchange of views on consumer protection issues
of common interest, as well as providing a platform for collaborative
seminars and events to promote consumer protection. For more
information, please visit: http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2007/06/chinamou.shtm A new
aviation treaty will lift most of the restrictions currently imposed on air
cargo services between Specific
rights are delineated in the agreement, and Los
Angeles/Long Beach Clean Truck Program Update The
Journal of Commerce reported in early November that the Controversial
points from the original plan were set aside in the most recent version,
including the provision requiring trucking companies to apply for a
concession from the ports in order to call there, and the requirement to hire
drivers as direct employees.
Votes
from both ports were scheduled to take place this week, however, the Mandatory
Use of Container Security Devices Unlikely In the American Shipper dated 10/31/07, it is reported that U.S. Customs and Border Protection Deputy Commissioner Jayson Ahern, recently stated that the mandatory use of container security devices (CSD’s) on all ocean containers entering the U.S. is unlikely due to difficulty finding a reliable CSD, but that CSD’s could be useful in limited applications. For more detail please visit American Shipper, dated 10/31/07 at www.americanshipper.com. Radiation
Monitor Program is Delayed The plan to deploy new radiation monitors
to screen trucks, cars and cargo containers for signs of nuclear devices has
been put on hold after an audit by the Government Accountability Office found
that detection rates of machines tested by the Department of Homeland
Security office were as low as 17 % and no higher than 50%. The hope was that
these new radiation monitors would improve radiation scans at borders and
ports, and reduce the number of false alarms. Appropriations from Congress
were approved based on a June 2006 report that said the machines could detect
highly enriched uranium about 95 percent of the time. However, the GAO report states that the
DHS estimates of the cost and benefits of using the radiation detectors were
based on assumptions and not facts, and that the cost benefit analysis did
not justify its decision to purchase and deploy the radiation detectors. This
report led to the project being placed on hold. $600
Million Fine against Two Air Cargo Carriers
The two companies will pay $300 million
each in criminal fines as part of a plea agreement. Antitrust officials began
investigating the possibility of anticompetitive practices in the air cargo
industry in 2006. First targeted were airfreight carrier agreements regarding
fuel, security and war-risk insurance premiums. Offices of many airlines were
raided, while others received requests for information. From March 2002 to February 2006, British
Airways’ fuel surcharge on air cargo shipments to and from the Clark’s
of Clark’s
of The shoe company
has created this giant display to help draw attention to their campaign to
fight breast cancer. A portion of all proceeds from their flip flop sales
will be donated to breast cancer research. CBP Office of
Intelligence has New Overseer Mr. Rodney
Snyder assumed oversight of CBP's new Office of
Intelligence and Operations Coordination (OIOC) on October 1, 2007. This new office will lead the way in
transforming CBP into a fully integrated, intelligence-driven organization.
Mr. Snyder joins the CBP from the intelligence community with an extensive
background in national security and counter terrorism. CBP Opens
New FOIA Office Customs and
Border Protection opened a new Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) office under
the Office of International Trade on October 1, 2007. This new
office supports the President's Executive Order (13392) to improve agency
disclosure of information. The Acting FOIA Director, Mr. Mark Hanson and his
staff are processing FOIA requests and will also prepare statistical reports
for CBP management, the DHS and DOJ. All new FOIA
requests should now be sent to: Attn: FOIA Division
Tel: (202)
572-0640. Partners
in Protection Update - Customs and
Border Protection (CBP) has asked the Canadian Government to strengthen its
“Partners in Protection (PIP)” program to be more in line with
the U.S. C-TPAT program. More staff dedicated to verifications, on site
assessments and more clearly defined security criteria are some of the
practices CBP would like to see adopted. The goal is to streamline PIP so
that future mutual program recognition will be possible. Secure
Freight Initiative: Phase One Begins A press release was issued by the Department of Homeland Security
(DHS) stating that in conjunction with the Department of Energy (DOE),
operational testing of the Secure Freight Initiative (SFI) began earlier this
year in Four other SFI ports are expected to initiate tests this year,
including U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
announced in late July that Hong Kong is a
key location for testing, as it is the leader in volume of shipments and
containers to the Securing
Commercial Aviation/Surface Systems The United
States Government Accountability Office (GAO) has published two similar
congressional testimonies on aviation and surface transportation security,
with a common theme of progress being made but challenges remaining. The Subtitle
of the first states “DHS Has Made Progress in Securing the Commercial
Aviation System, but Key Challenges Remain.” Among other things, the
GAO notes that the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation
Security Administration have not yet developed and implemented technologies
needed to screen air cargo. For rail
cargo, the report states that the TSA has only initiated efforts to develop
security standards for passenger and freight rail, but has not yet addressed
commercial vehicles or highway and bridge infrastructure. For the full
reports dated 10/16/07, please visit http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08139t.pdf
and http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08140t.pdf
) EU
Approves Customs 2013 Program The Customs
2013 Program has been adopted by the European Union for the years 2008
through 2013. The program will support the development of a pan-European
electronic Customs environment and seek international Customs cooperation
related to supply chain security. The main goals of the program are as
follows: ¨ Reinforce
security and safety within the EU and at the external border; ¨ Strengthen
the fight against fraud and protect the financial interests of the EU Member
States; ¨
Increase the competitiveness of European business
by speeding up Customs procedures through the creation of a European
paperless electronic Customs environment. Seizure
of Counterfeit Goods Increases According to a CBP press release, the
seizure of Counterfeit goods increased 83% during the 2006 fiscal year (FY),
and CBP and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) made more than 14,000
seizures of counterfeit goods. Those seizures, worth more than $155 million,
are a 67% increase from the previous year.
Major cases executed during the 2006 FY involved the following: o 77 containers of counterfeit Nike Air o Counterfeit Zig Zag cigarette papers. o
Counterfeit
National Football League jerseys, blankets, coats, and other apparel and
accessories. Illegally
Transshipped Apparel Seized Customs and Border Protection announced
in mid –October that it has seized three shipments of more than 2,500
cartons of wearing apparel valued at approximately $1 million at the Port of
Newark, N.J. The goods were illegally transshipped in an effort to circumvent
textile trade laws and regulations. Targeting by the Office of International
Trade was credited with deploying targeting technologies used for border
security that have also proved effective for trade compliance. Foreign factory visits by Customs has
doubled from fiscal year 2006 to fiscal year 2007, while audits have
increased by 60%. Penalties assessed
have increased more than three-fold. USTR
News: Comments were also requested in reference to liberalizing the rules of
origin, particularly in light of more recent FTAs.
The USCFTA allows the parties to amend the origin rules as they deem appropriate. The |