News / Supply Chain Alerts

The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) has reached a tentative agreement on a six-year Master Contract with the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX). The current USMX-ILA Contract expires on September 30, 2018. The tentative agreement will remove much uncertainty and ensure labor accord through the year 2024 for the U.S. East Coast and Gulf Coast.

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The General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China (GACC) has issued Announcement No.56 [2017] to adjust the manifest rules of import and export in the country, effective June 1, 2018. MIQ Logistics will adhere to the new requirements and transmit all required electronic data to China Customs prior to arrival or departure of air and sea shipments. To avoid delays, the following key points require your attention in your future shipping documentation:

1. Manifest submissions must be made 24 hours prior to loading. This includes all import and export shipments moving by air or sea to / from / via China mainland ports.
2. The manifest must accurately and completely reflect all goods under the bills of lading and waybills.
3. The cargo description must be complete, accurate, and cover all the goods.
4. Full contact details of the Shipper and Consignee (or the Notify Party if Consignee is “To Order”) are mandatory, including the Enterprise Codes. For example, for China — USCI (Unified Social Credit Identifier), OC (Organization Code); U.K. – Company Number, VAT (Value Added Tax) Identification Number; USA — CIK (Central Index Key), EIN (Employer Identification Number).

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New Tariffs Suspended While China Trade Negotiations Continue

During an appearance on Fox News Sunday on May 20, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that around $150 billion worth of proposed tariffs on Chinese goods pursuant to Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 are on hold as the two countries continue trade negotiations to reduce their deficit.

 “We’re putting the trade war on hold, so right now we have agreed to put the tariffs on hold while we try to execute the framework. … We have an agreement with China that they’re going to substantially agree to it.”

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On May 8, 2018, the President announced his decision to cease the United States’ participation in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and to begin re-imposing the U.S. nuclear-related sanctions that were lifted to effectuate the JCPOA sanctions relief, following a wind-down period.

Departments and Agencies will begin the process of implementing 90-day and 180-day wind-down periods for activities involving Iran that were consistent with the U.S. sanctions relief specified in the JCPOA. At the end of the 90-day and 180-day wind-down periods, the applicable sanctions will come back into full effect.

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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.