By Mark J. Andrews*

The U.S. and 15 other countries stepped up today at Rotterdam, the Netherlands, for a signing ceremony showcasing the proposed “Convention on Contracts for the International Carriage of Goods Wholly or Partly by Sea.” The Convention, commonly known as the “Rotterdam Rules,” received approval from the United Nations General Assembly last December after 12 years of work by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL). The...

Read More "News from Rotterdam on the Rotterdam Rules: Proponents of New Treaty on Maritime Cargo Liability Have a Selling Job Ahead of Them"

Please see September 3 Blog posting for more details on the increases.

 Submitted by Kenneth E. Siegel*



The Transportation Security Administration (“TSA”) has published a Federal Register notice (74 F.R. 47671) setting forth interim final rules for the agency’s Certified Cargo Screening Facility (“CCSF”) program and requesting public comments on the rules and related fees.  The purpose of the program is to help implement the Congressional mandate that 100% of all cargo placed on passenger aircraft...

Read More "Transportation Security Administration Issues Interim Final Rules For Certified Air Cargo Screeners – Effective Nov. 16, 2009"

Submitted by Kenneth Siegel*

In its July 17, 2009 issue of Customs Bulletin and Decisions (Vol. 43, No. 28, p. 138), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) issued a ruling that requires importers to prepare a manifest for containers entering the U.S. with any residue of a chemical product previously transported in the container.  Under this ruling (HQH026715, June 19, 2009), such containers may no longer be manifested as “empty”.  The manifest must...

Read More "Chemical Industry Trade Alert: U.S. Customs to Require Carriers to Provide Advanced Cargo Information for Chemical Residues in Imported Containers"

Submitted by Kenneth Siegel*

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (“FMCSA”) has published a Federal Register notice inviting public comment on a request by the Uniform Carrier Registration Agreement (“UCRA”) Board of Directors to implement a significant increase in UCRA fees for registration year 2010. The FMCSA’s recommended fee increase is even higher than the increase requested by the UCRA Board.

   

Read More "FMCSA Seeks Comments on Proposed 100+ Percent Increase in 2010 UCRA Fees! You Have Until September 18th to Comment"