Customs Service News

Five Russia-bound containers from India's Jindal Stainless Ltd (JSL) have been stuck at the Belgian port of Antwerp for around a year, unable to enter the European Union, the company said on Friday."The containers are carrying around 100 metric tonnes of stainless steel," a company spokesperson said.The containers were sent in February 2022 for shipment via Antwerp, but were held up because of EU sanctions imposed on Russia after it invaded Ukraine the same month.JSL's spokesperson said the stainless steel was not among the goods on the EU's sanctions list, and should be cleared for onward tra

A ship carrying a cargo of diesel fuel initially barred from hurricane-hit Puerto Rico anchored at the island's Guayanilla port on Friday to unload under a Biden administration waiver, the Refinitiv Eikon vessel tracking service showed.The Marshall Islands-flagged tanker GH Parks, which loaded in Texas this month, was stopped from discharging four days ago by the Jones Act, a maritime law that requires goods moved between U.S. ports to be carried by U.S.-flagged ships.BP Plc, which chartered the vessel, said it submitted a waiver request with the U.S. customs service on Sept. 20 to allow for the diesel to be diverted from its original destination to Puerto Rico to assist with hurricane relief efforts.GH Parks was carrying about 308…

Russia's export volumes to China fell by more than a quarter in the first 1-1/2 months of 2020 as China grappled with the coronavirus epidemic, Russia's Izvestia newspaper cited the customs service as saying on Wednesday.Moscow has imposed various restrictions on travel to China, its biggest trade partner, to stop the spread of the virus and said on Tuesday it would not allow Chinese citizens to enter Russia from Feb. 20.Russian exports to China fell 27.6% year on year from Jan. 1 to Feb. 10, the Federal Customs Service in Russia's Far East was cited as saying. In the first 10 days of February, exports halved from 237,000 tonnes to 118…

Global logistics software group, WiseTech Global has announced the acquisition of Ready Korea, a customs, bonded warehouse and trade compliance solutions provider in South Korea.Headquartered in Seoul, Ready Korea offers a cross-border compliance solution, which facilitates the lodgement of electronic transactions to the Korean Customs Service, including customs brokerage and refunds and Free Trade Agreement verification, along with bonded warehouse management.Ready Korea also provides a trade administration solution to facilitate the generation and submission of electronic import/export documentation. Customers of Ready Korea include FedEx…

The International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS) is mandatory instrument addressing the safety and security of ships, ports, cargo and crew, says International Maritime Organization (IMO).According to the UN body, it contains detailed security-related requirements for Governments, port authorities and shipping companies to ensure preventive measures can be taken if a security threat is determined.Maldives has become the latest country to receive maritime security training from IMO on the ISPS Code, specifically for its Designated Authority (DA) and Port Facility Security Officers (PFSOs).A three-day workshop in Male, Maldives…

Australian designer and manufacturer, Austal handed over a Guardian-class patrol boat to the Pacific Island country Tuvalu in a ceremony in Perth, Australia.This is the second of 21 GCPBs being gifted by the Commonwealth to 12 Pacific Island Nations and Timor-Leste under the Commonwealths Pacific Maritime Security Program."Austal is pleased to deliver this program for the Commonwealth of Australia. The Guardian Class has brought together the industry-leading skills of over 200 Austal employees, and is estimated to have employed an additional 200 people indirectly through the design, construction and sustainment process which will continue through the life of the program out to 2023" Austal CEO…

The Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority, Hadiza Bala Usman, has called on terminal operators, shipping companies, port managers and allied stakeholders to do all they could to eradicate or at best mitigate the effects of the present congestion at the nation’s seaports.According to the Managing Director, the issue of ports congestion should be of concern to all and therefore they should look into the issue of evacuation of empty containers, increase in free days of storage, wavering of demurrage for a definite period of time, creating a window of some period to accommodate the concerns of importers, etcThe Managing Director told the Stakeholders that the meeting was convened in compliance with a directive from the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Chairman…

The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside, has called on the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) to ensure fairness and balance in its reportage of piracy issues on Nigeria’s territorial waters.Dakuku regretted what he called the exaggeration of reports on incidences on the country’s waterways by the IMB, a specialised department of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) dedicated to fighting maritime crime and malpractice.The DG noted that the Agency had put mechanisms in place to reduce piracy to the barest minimum. These, he said, include investing in the satellite surveillance system…

China on Friday denied reports it has been illicitly selling oil products to North Korea after U.S. President Donald Trump said he was not happy that China had allowed oil to reach the isolated nation. Trump said on Twitter the previous day that China had been "caught" allowing oil into North Korea and that would prevent "a friendly solution" to the crisis over North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes that it conducts in defiance of heavy U.N. Security Council sanctions. "I have been soft on China because the only thing more important to me than trade is war…

The Russian Yamal LNG project will ship the first two cargoes of liquefied natural gas in November, followed by another four in December, Russia's customs service said on Tuesday.   The Yamal LNG project is co-owned by local Russian gas producer Novatek, as well as France's Total, China's CNPC and the Silk Road Fund.   Reporting by Oksana Kobzeva

On January 18, 2017, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) proposed in its Customs Bulletin & Decisions newsletter a significant change to the U.S. cabotage rules. For many years, use of non-coastwise-qualified vessels in the transportation of pipeline repair material; anodes; pipeline connectors; wellhead equipment, valves and valve guards; damaged pipeline; platform repair material; and similar items from a U.S. point to another point within U.S. waters and/or those on the outer continental shelf has been ruled by CBP (and its predecessor U.S. Customs Service) as consistent with U.S.

Nigeria would be hosting the 3rd Conference of the Association of Heads of African Maritime Administrations (AAMA Conference) in Abuja, at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, from 19th -21st of April,2017 in a bid to continue to improve on its role as a global player in the comity of maritime nations. Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) director-general Dr. Dakuku Peterside has said in a statement that the meeting will be hosted in conjunction with International Maritime Organisation (IMO). It will bring together major maritime administrators and leading stakeholders in Africa to discuss ways of improving the maritime sector on the continent.

A delegation from the port of Antwerp headed by port alderman and Port Authority chairman Marc Van Peel paid a visit to Iran last week. The delegation which was made up of petrochemical and shipping experts met in Tehran with various ministries, petrochemical organisations and private companies. With this mission Antwerp Port Authority seeks to open the doors of Iran for the Antwerp port community once more. The exploratory mission was mainly aimed at making contacts with official bodies. It included meetings with among others Mr. Saeednejad, head of the Ports and Maritime Organization, Dr. Saeidi, head of the Islamic Republic Shipping Line, Mr. Masoud Karbasian, head of the Iranian Customs service and Mr. Seyed Jamal Hosseini, vice-chairman of the Iranian Investment Organisation.

A customs strike in Chile that had held up exports and imports for over a week has ended after the union said on Friday it had come to an agreement with the government.   Fruit and salmon exporters and small businesses who rely on import stock were particularly hard hit by the stoppage, which ran from May 20 to May 28.   The ANFACH union said in a statement that it had ended the strike after approving a government proposal to modernize the customs service and increase its workforce.     (Reporting by Rosalba O'Brien; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

Ruling party reforms improved Apapa port; shippers still face delays and corruption. The road leading to the Lagos port, which handles nearly everything that Africa's biggest economy imports, is one of the most congested in a megacity whose traffic jams are legendary. Wide enough to accommodate only two lanes on either side, along it move the goods that Africa's top crude producer uses its huge oil receipts to buy -- everything from designer wear to dried fish, champagne and shampoo. The Apapa port is also one of the biggest bottlenecks in an economy throttled by power cuts and institutional dysfunction. Reforms to this behemoth by President Goodluck Jonathan and previous administrations of his People's Democratic Party (PDP) brought huge improvements over the past decade…

The American Salvage Association’s Jon Waldron provides the ultimate cabotage primer. There always seems to be constant chatter about waiving the Jones Act. In reality, it is a simple task to demystify the thought that it is easy to obtain such waivers. The fact that Senator Landrieu’s comments were not directed against any potential waiver of the Jones Act shows the controversy that Jones Act waivers can rise in the maritime and energy sectors. In reality, however, there exists a misconception amongst many about the ease of obtaining a waiver to the Jones Act. Accordingly, this article will discuss the requirements for obtaining a waiver, analyze key past Jones Act waivers, and look to possibilities for future Jones Act waivers.

Two executives from offshore drilling contractor Noble Corp have agreed to settle civil claims they participated in a bribery scheme to obtain permits for oil rigs in Nigeria, days before the case was set to go to trial. Jury selection had been scheduled for next Monday in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's case against Mark Jackson, Noble's former chief executive officer, and James Ruehlen, director of the oil and gas services company's Nigerian subsidiary. The two men were sued under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), which bans U.S. companies from bribing foreign officials. A federal judge in Houston called off all trial deadlines on Tuesday pending a final settlement. The terms, which must be approved by a judge, were not disclosed in court papers.

Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Arkady Dvorkovich, has confirmed that the 21st World Petroleum Congress will be held in Moscow from 15 – 19 June 2014. The congress will be the largest international event in the global oil and gas industries. Dr. Over 500 other industry leaders and decision makers. The recent geopolitical situation in Ukraine, including sanctions and other macroeconomic and political factors, could have a strong impact on the world’s oil and gas markets. Although they do not adversely affect the Congress itself under the current scenarios, important discussions on the development of the entire energy sector and wide-ranging industry announcements are expected to take place at the Congress.

Decision Sciences International Corporation (DSIC), an advanced technology provider of security and detection systems, today announced that The Honorable Jayson P. Ahern, former Acting Commissioner of U.S. Customs & Border Protection, was appointed to the company's Advisory Board, effective immediately. Ahern, is a Principal with The Chertoff Group, providing strategic consulting services on homeland and border security management and global commerce and supply chain matters. In 2010, Ahern retired after 33 years of federal service to both the U.S. Customs Service and U.S.

Global freight management company, Geodis Wilson, said it plans to continue growing its Middle East network and has announced the appointment of Sascha Geiken as new Cluster Managing Director for the Middle East region. Sascha Geiken joined Geodis Wilson in 2009 as Managing Director of Geodis Wilson United Arab Emirates. In his new position as Cluster Managing Director, he will be responsible UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. Sascha Geiken, who started his freight forwarding career in 1995, has many years of experience in the Middle East working for major logistics companies.

Smaller boatyards carve out a profitable niche in this challenging, yet target rich maritime environment. For Kvichak and USMI; so far, so good. The May edition of MarineNews brought analysis of possible downstream consequences of the U.S. federal government’s ongoing austerity measures, especially where it could impact U.S. boatbuilders with backlogs tied to government funding. Susan Buchanan’s “Budget Battles Bumping Backlogs” piece brought out the good, bad and potentially ugly realities of the new normal in Washington, DC, where lawmakers tussle over spending priorities, while also leaving various casualties in their messy wake. The August announcement that the U.S.

The coast guard vessel (Kustbevakningen Vessel) KBV 033 was handed over to the Swedish Coast Guard with a reflagging ceremony at dock three of the Peene shipyard in Wolgast. A special day for P+S Werften, currently under insolvency administration: Initially the Swedish Coast Guard placed an order for a total of four newly built KBVs in 2008; but in the context of insolvency proceedings, the Peene shipyard could not fulfill the order completely without a new agreement. Two of the coast guard vessels were already delivered in June and July of 2012.

Silt accumulation and dredging that's been postponed for years have prevented the full use of U.S. waterways and ports, maritime industry leaders said last month. Hundreds of U.S. ports and harbors are meant to be maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to foster navigation. But many of the country's channels are not kept at their authorized depths, and last year the backlog of needed dredging projects swelled. Meanwhile, just over half the fees charged to shippers through the federal Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund are spent on maintenance and operations…