Major shipping line Mediterranean Shipping Co. must explain to the Federal Maritime Commission by Feb. 28 why it shouldn’t be required to pay a refund to SOFi Paper Products for allegedly violating U.S. shipping regulations, the FMC said Feb. 3. The FMC said MSC never provided “justification” to SOFi stemming from a $1,000 “congestion surcharge” levied against SOFi in July.
A “scam artist” has been circulating a “fake and fraudulent” request for quotation (RFQ) from the Bureau of Industry and Security, Nagesh Rao, BIS chief information officer, said in a Feb. 4 LinkedIn post. The post includes a link to the Fake RFQ, which has “successfully conned small businesses in fulfilling this order,” Rao said. The order includes a quote request from BIS for computers.
The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission this week released an updated timeline of China’s position on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, outlining a list of “key actions and statements” summarizing China’s official stance on the war. The timeline also includes U.S. sanctions actions to penalize Chinese companies for supporting Russia's defense industrial base.
The U.S. should “acknowledge” the national security risks associated with outbound investments into China, said Nathaniel Fick, the first ambassador at large of the State Department’s recently established Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy. Fick, speaking during a Feb. 2 event hosted by the German Marshall Fund, suggested he’s expecting government action around outbound investments soon.
Despite national security concerns, technology sharing with Chinese academic institutions can continue to reap benefits, said Meia Nouwens, a senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. But Nouwens, speaking during a Jan. 26 U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission hearing, said academics and technology executives "lack clarity" around what work they can and should be collaborating on with Chinese colleagues. Universities and industry need more government guidance on what's allowed, she said.
The Federal Maritime Commission should dismiss a complaint alleging U.S.-based Omni Logistics violated shipping regulations when it failed to include required information on demurrage invoices for more than 200 containers (see 2212020027), the company told the FMC this week. The complaint by Thompson Pipe Group Pressure, a U.S. supplier of construction equipment and services, “utterly fails to provide any factual detail” about how Omni violated the regulations violations, Omni said. The company also said FMC lacks jurisdiction over the dispute and the complaint alleges violations of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act despite the alleged violations occurring before OSRA was enacted.
Military weapons sales between the U.S. and foreign governments rose to almost $51.9 billion in FY 2022, a nearly 50% increase from FY 2021, Defense News said in a Jan. 25 report. The report, which cites State Department data, attributes the sharp increase to European countries buying more weapons to arm themselves in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The report also said FY 2022 direct commercial sales -- from industry contractors to governments -- rose to $153.7 billion, from $103.4 billion the previous fiscal year.
Despite urging from industry, the Federal Maritime Commission won’t issue an emergency order requiring carriers and terminal operators to share new cargo information with shippers. The FMC conducted a “careful review of market conditions” and public comments but “found circumstances currently do not warrant invoking temporary emergency authority, and the commission will not be issuing an emergency order at this time,” Tara Nielsen, counsel for the FMC’s office of managing director, said during a Jan. 25 FMC meeting.
The White House this week released its final report on “standing up a national research infrastructure” for artificial intelligence. The report, written by the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) Task Force, provides an “implementation plan” to “strengthen and democratize the U.S. AI innovation ecosystem in a way that protects privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties.” Among several recommendations in the report, the task force said the NAIRR should have an “independent Operating Entity that manages the day-to-day operations” of the NAIRR. That operating entity should help promote U.S. AI outreach and collaboration with other countries while also complying with “relevant export controls,” the report said.
The Bureau of Industry and Security is extending the public comment period for an information collection related to “miscellaneous licensing responsibilities and enforcement” (see 2211090013). The collection describes 10 miscellaneous activities associated with exporting controlled goods, including the exchanging of documents among parties in a transaction to “ensure that each party understands its obligations under U.S. law,” BIS said. Other activities involve writing export control statements on shipping documents or reporting “unforeseen changes in shipping and disposition of exported commodities.” The BIS Office of Export Enforcement and CBP need these activities to document export transactions, enforce export regulations and protect U.S. national security, BIS said. The agency is allowing for an additional 30 days of public comments. Comments had been due Jan. 9.