The State Department Aug. 14 announced a new package of security aid for Ukraine, including air defense munitions, artillery rounds, anti-armor capabilities and mine-clearing equipment. The $200 million package is being "executed from previously authorized Presidential Drawdown Authority," the agency said.

The Federal Maritime Commission is investigating the Mediterranean Shipping Company for violating U.S. shipping regulations, including by using “overbroad” merchant clauses in its bills of lading, mishandling fees and failing to publish tariff rates. The agency may fine MSC if it determines the carrier violated the Shipping Act.

USDA is advising vanilla extract exporters to stop shipping to the EU after the bloc introduced a new requirement that shippers may not be able to comply with. The EU’s new measure requires “guarantees” from the U.S. government that American vanilla extract shipments comply with the EU’s maximum residue levels of ethylene oxide, but USDA said it can’t provide those guarantees.

The Transportation Security Administration is inviting shippers to join its Certified Cargo Screening Program ahead of a change in October that will eliminate certain air freight screening exemptions for cargo deemed ”impracticable to screen.” Shippers enrolled in the program will be allowed to “directly transfer cargo to an aircraft operator without requiring additional screening,” TSA said in a notice this week.

As the Biden administration this week marked the one-year anniversary of the enactment of the Chips Act, which provides incentives and funding opportunities for the chips sector, the semiconductor industry urged the White House and lawmakers to keep foreign markets open and “advance policies that enhance this historic accomplishment.”

The Bureau of Industry and Security is seeking public comments on an information collection related to declaration forms submitted to the International Atomic Energy Agency. The forms provide the IAEA with information on commercial nuclear and nuclear-related items, materials and activities, including imports and exports. Comments are due Oct. 10.

The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission is seeking submissions from contract researchers to prepare a “concise, one-time unclassified report” on China’s advanced remote sensing technologies and applications. The report should assess China's objectives and approach to advanced remote sensing technologies; the state of China's research and development around the technology and competitiveness of China's industry in this area; Chinese investments in U.S. advanced remote sensor companies; and China's use of these technologies for military purposes. The commission is accepting proposals through 5 p.m. EDT Sept. 8

The Commerce Department is seeking public comments on an information collection involving its annual survey of foreign direct investment in the U.S. The survey provides “reliable, useful, and timely measures” of FDI to the government to allow it to assess the impact of the investment on the U.S. economy. In a change made last year, the survey’s BE15A form will no longer include the “expensed petroleum and mining expenditures item.” Commerce said the item “is not a good fit conceptually as a component of property, plant, and equipment (capital) expenditures.” Comments are due Oct. 10.

U.S. carrier Network Shipping Ltd. (NWS) violated U.S. shipping regulations when it failed to provide chassis for certain shipments and instead unfairly provided those chassis to its parent company, a produce distributor, multiple produce importers and exporters said in an August complaint to the Federal Maritime Commission. The companies said they suffered $2 million in damages and costs "in connection with dumping, inspection, transportation, and lost sales of the perished cargo" due to NWS' actions, the report said.

The State Department's Directorate of Defense Trade Controls recently posted a name change notice for Nitec (UK) Ltd. and waived the requirement for amendments to change approved license authorizations because of the “volume” of authorizations requiring amendments to reflect the change, DDTC said. Nitec was changed to CBE Plus Ltd. New license applications received after Sept. 3 that identify the old name “will be considered for return without action for correction.”