Category Archives: Uncategorized

Philadelphia CBP Discovers 3 First In Port Pests
Officials say that agriculture specialists recently discovered three new pests in the Philadelphia area. More…

Tianjin Explosions Will Hike Insurance Rates
The explosions that rocked the Chinese port of Tianjin in mid-August will likely result in higher property insurance rates thanks to the losses that amount to billions of dollars.The explosions August 12 at a warehouse filled with toxic waste damaged a substantial area of the port and surrounding residential areas and resulted in over 100 deaths. The event highlights the growing risks present in industrialized areas, according to experts. More…

Stability Issues Impact Nearshoring Destination Choices
Eastern Europe is a Big Winner for Europe-Bound Shipments, Research Indicates
Manufacturing executives around the world continue to consider nearshoring—moving production from a far-off overseas location to a closer site—but there is evidence that the trend is slowing, according to research released by Alix Partners.More…

European Exports Increase During First Half of 2015
Euro Area and EU Goods Trade is in Surplus
Between January and June 2015, euro area exports of goods to the rest of the world rose to $1.13 trillion, an increase of six percent compared with the same period in 2014, according to figures released by EUROSTAT, the European Union’s statistics bureau, Imports rose to $1.0 trillion, an increase of three percent compared with the first six months of last year, resulting in a trade surplus during the first half of $130 billion compared with $85.9 billion in January to June 2014.

New Service for Port of NY & NJ
American President Lines (APL), a subsidiary of Neptune Orient Lines, and SeaLand, a division of Maersk Line, have announced the formation of a Vessel Sharing Agreement (VSA) that introduced a new weekly service branded the ACX by APL and the NAE by SeaLand. The VSA nominated Global Container Terminals (GCT) New York in Staten Island as the terminal operator. The new service will serve ports on both the west and east coasts of Latin America, utilizing Manzanillo International Terminal, Panama as the service’s hub.

Trans-Pacific Partnership delegates fail to reach final deal; pharmaceuticals, cars, dairy key sticking points
Delegates negotiating a Pacific free trade agreement have failed to reach a final deal after several days of intense talks in Hawaii.

FMC gets real about port congestion
The FMC believes that infrastructure investment is at the core of the discussion, however, other factors must be addressed in the near term to ensure an efficient and reliable international ocean transportation system and the relevant supply chain.

More Ships Heading to U.S. East Coast Ports at the Expense of the West
U.S. East Coast bunker suppliers are seeing more demand opportunity this year as shipping traffic has surged following West Coast port congestion from a labor dispute and other problems, the Financial Times reports.

2015 Peak Season prospects are mixed
While nearly one-third of LM survey respondents note Peak Season has a significant impact on operations, industry experts say it will not be much to write home about this year.

rans-Pacific Partnership Becomes a 2016 Election Issue
Japanese Prime Minister Abe’s visit highlights the Democratic divide over the trade deal.
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/04/28/trans-pacific-partnership-becomes-a-2016-election-issue

Boston Consulting Group sees trouble ahead for ocean container lines
Drawing on analysis of data from proprietary benchmarking databases and other tools, BCG anticipates continued overcapacity in the container-shipping industry, with no market recovery in sight.
http://www.logisticsmgmt.com/article/boston_consulting_group_sees_trouble_ahead_for_ocean_container_lines

Leader Emphasizes CBP’s Trade, Travel, Transparency Achievements
After a challenging first year, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner R. Gil Kerlikowske outlined several significant advances introduced under his leadership during an April 8 address at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. More…

Container shipping to see another year of excess growth: Drewry
Container shipping is expected to see another year of excess growth in relation to demand, as there has been no let-up in big ship deliveries and new building ordering frenzy, according to Container Forecaster published by Drewry Maritime Research. More…

Alleging Millions in Wage Theft, West Coast Port Truckers Strike
Hundreds of truck drivers operating at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach went on strike Monday morning in protest of wage theft by four of the ports’ largest trucking companies, who they say misclassify them as independent contractors rather than full-time employees.More…

Supply Chain Managers May Be Considering New Seaport Options, Says Report
Disruptions by dockworkers on the U.S. West Coast at the end of last year added to the congestion woes of Los Angeles and Long Beach, thereby raising the profile of competing ocean cargo gateways like Miami and New York/New Jersey. More…

DHS funding crisis could have ripple effect on local ports
Just as the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach recover from months of slow operations after a labor dispute, a budget battle in Washington threatens new snags.
More…

US west coast battles cargo backlog
Oakland’s cargo volumes were hit hard in February, but things are looking up US west coast ports are working hard to clear months of backlogged cargo as a result of the extensive labour dispute, but it could be three months before there’s a clearing, and even longer before operations are back to ‘normal’. –

Port of Los Angeles launches ‘Peel Off’ program to tackle mounting backlog of cargo
Officials have introduced the “Peel Off” program, which would allow containers from major customers to be moved to a designated area where truckers could quickly peel off those containers destined for distribution centers inland.

It’s this time of the year…

The Port of New York and New Jersey Prepared for the Winter 2014-2015
more…

Trucker strike at ports of L.A. and Long Beach ends…
Striking truck drivers from two companies agreed Friday to return to work, organizers said, ending a nine-day trucker protest at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
The two struck companies — Pacer International Inc. and Harbor Rail Transport — said in statements that they would not retaliate against drivers who walked off the job and vowed to continue discussions with the Teamsters Union, which is backing the drivers.

Middle East Airfreight Ascent: Mecca or Mirage?
It wasn’t long ago that media and markets alike were ready to anoint the Middle East as the world’s next airfreight hub. More…

Panalpina, Pride, Noble Settle SEC Bribery Cases
Panalpina Inc., Pride International Inc., and Noble Corp. settled U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission lawsuits alleging they bribed officials of foreign governments. More…

On January 26th, 2009, the rules governing international commerce will change drastically. On this date the Importer Security Filing (ISF) initiative known as “10 2” will go into effect. This rule was issued to fulfill the SAFE Port Act’s mandate to increase the security of cargo entering The United States by vessel. It allows U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) to assess the risk of all cargo before it enters the territory of The United States. This shift in policy may affect the timely delivery of your ocean cargo.

The new ruling requires that ten (10) data elements and two (2) carrier elements (hence, “10 2”) be filed 24 hours PRIOR TO CARGO BEING LADEN ON A VESSEL DESTINED FOR THE U.S.

The 10 non-carrier data elements are as follows:

1. Manufacturer or supplier’s name and address

2. Seller’s name and address

3. Buyer’s name and address

4. Ship-to-party’s name and address

5. Container Stuffing Location (Name and address of the physical location where the goods were stuffed into the container.)

6. Consolidator (Name and address of the party who stuffed the container or arranged for the stuffing of the container.)

7. Importer of Record Identification Number (IRS, EIN, SSN or other CBP assigned number for the importer of record.)

8. Consignee’s Identification Number (IRS, EIN, SSN or other CBP assigned number for the firm on whose account the merchandise is shipped.)

9. Country of Origin (Country of manufacture, production or growth of the article based upon the import laws of the U.S.)

10. Harmonized Tariff Schedule Number (Specific classification code that identifies the particular commodity being shipped to CBP.

It is important to note that CBP has deemed it the responsibility of the Importer to file this information or designate an agent to do so on their behalf. We at Westar International are dedicated to partnering with our clients to assist in the procedural changes necessary to comply with the new regulations and are prepared to make the required ISF filings on your behalf as a service to you.

We welcome the opportunity to guide you through the upcoming changes and are here to offer our assistance in ensuring that your shipping needs are met and that your valuable freight is secure and delivered on time…every time.

For more information regarding the new Customs & Border Protection security initiative “10 2” please visit http://www.cbp.gov or contact Westar International directly at 1-800-577-4910.

We look forward to working with you and as always, thank you for your business!