The Federal Maritime Commission last week approved a settlement agreement between U.S. metal trader CCMA and major ocean carrier Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC). The confidential settlement stems from a December CCMA complaint alleging MSC assessed it $114,000 in unfair detention and demurrage fees (see 2212080020). MSC denied those allegations, saying CCMA lacked "meritorious factual basis" for its claims (see 2301090017).

The State Department last week called on Russia to stop preventing agricultural exports and other food products from leaving Ukraine, saying it would help lower global food prices and get “urgently needed grains to people around the world.” Moscow should “end its illegal war in Ukraine to allow a return to normal agricultural production and trade and an immediate and significant improvement in global food security,” the agency said. It also stressed that U.S. sanctions aren’t blocking agricultural trade, and the U.S. offers authorizations to allow “transactions involving agricultural products and fertilizer.”

The State Department approved a potential $285 million military sale to Ukraine, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said May 24. The sale includes an “Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System” and related equipment, and the principal contractor will be Raytheon Missiles and Defense.

U.S. exports of semiconductors to China fell by about $2.9 billion in 2022, “wiping out” growth the industry saw the year before, the U.S.-China Business Council said in a report this week. The decline was partly due to the Biden administration’s sweeping chip controls released in October (see 2210070049), the report said, adding that the “more frequent use of export controls over the last few years has led Chinese customers to deprioritize American products when there are viable domestic and third-country suppliers.”

The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) is seeking comments by July 24 on a new data collection for "empty container volumes at intermodal locations," it said in a Federal Register notice. The data collection effort, which would implement certain parts of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022, would allow the FMC to gather information on "vessel-level tonnage as well as full and empty containers entering and leaving U.S. ports." It would also allow the Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) to collect "operational data on intermodal equipment and dwell times."

Orient Overseas Container Line denied allegations that it violated U.S. shipping regulations, saying a complaint filed by Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY) in April (see 2305010049 and 2305020019) was "an unfortunate campaign to distort and obfuscate the relevant facts, contracts and law, in order to secure an unwarranted return." The container line said neither the statements in BBBY's complaint "nor the text of the contracts themselves" support claims that OOCL breached its contracts.

The State Department recently certified that Cuba, North Korea, Iran, Syria and Venezuela aren’t cooperating fully with U.S. antiterrorism efforts. Under the Arms Export Control Act, the U.S. can’t authorize certain defense exports to countries listed under this certification.

Singapore-based Foxconn Ventures, an affiliate of Taiwan-based technology firm Hon Hai Technology Group, recently received U.S. clearance to acquire American electric vehicle equipment manufacturer Lordstown Motors, Squire Patton said in a May 8 post. The parties received clearance from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. April 25, the law firm said. The purchase was valued at about $50 million.

The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls is seeking public comments on an information collection involving requests for advisory opinions. Exporters can submit an advisory opinion request to DDTC to help determine whether the agency may grant or deny a particular export, to receive guidance on regulatory requirements and more. Comments are due July 24.

Members of Congress need to be mindful of what their proposals to regulate outbound investment might mean for U.S. businesses, one of the experts on a Washington International Trade Association webinar cautioned.