On Tuesday, March 17, 2020, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) office released its first list of product exclusions to the Section 301 List 4A products currently subject to a 7.5% tariff in the Federal Register Notice 85 FR 15244.
News / Regulatory Updates
As the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) on businesses and global financial markets continues to escalate, we would like to share some updates from our global network partners as well as our own Noatum Logistics North America operations.
On Monday, March 16, 2020, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) office released a new set of product exclusions for Section 301 List 3 products currently subject to a 25% tariff in Federal Register Notice 85 FR 15015.
On Tuesday, March 10, 2020, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) office released its first list of product exclusions to the Section 301 List 4A products currently subject to a 7.5% tariff in the Federal Register Notice 85 FR 13970.
As the impact of the coronavirus on businesses and global financial markets continues to escalate, we would like to share the steps that Noatum Logistics North America is taking to ensure continuity of our services.
Terminals in the U.S. are canceling work shifts due to the low cargo volumes caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19). There are 111 void sailings from the transpacific carriers between February – April, which includes 63 sailings during the normal factory closures over the Lunar New Year and 43 sailings due to the disruptions caused by the coronavirus. The American Association of Port Authorities says year-over-year cargo volumes in the first quarter could be down by at least 20%.
The United States Trade Representative (USTR) office released four new lists of product exclusions to the Section 301 List 1-3 products currently subject to a 25% tariff.
CN mainlines are being physically blocked by groups who are opposed to the completion of a natural gas pipeline in Northern British Columbia. The blockades have caused shutdowns at Tyendinaga, ON, since February 6; New Hazelton, BC, since February 8; and Headingly, MB, since February 12. Read the full CN press release. For additional background information, please refer to the BBC article here: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51452217.
Factories in China have begun to reopen but, because regional travel restrictions are still in place, some employees will not be able to return to work immediately. This is especially true for migrant workers from Hubei where most of the coronavirus (n-CoV) infections have been reported.
As the coronavirus outbreak persists, our thoughts are with our customers, colleagues and their families across the world. On February 4, 2020, the WHO (World Health Organization) officials advised that the coronavirus outbreak is not a pandemic and added that they are hopeful the transmission of the virus can be contained. Additional regions have extended the Chinese New Year holiday through February 9.