The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach again postponed a new surcharge meant to incentivize the movement of dwelling containers, the two ports announced Dec. 27. The ports originally planned to begin imposing the fee Nov. 15, but have postponed it several times (see 2111030027 and 2110280031). The latest extension delays the effective date until Jan 3.
The State Department on Dec. 22 released its annual fact sheet on foreign military sales and direct commercial sales statistics for fiscal year 2021. The fact sheet includes information on average FMS and DCS figures as well as some licensing stats. The agency said its Directorate of Defense Trade Controls saw a “slight increase” from FY 2020 to FY 2021 in the number of entities registered to conduct defense trade activities.
The State Department approved three potential military sales to France, Lithuania and Australia worth more than a combined $1.5 billion, according to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency.
The Census Bureau Dec. 20 emailed tips on how to address the most frequent messages generated this month in the Automated Export System. Response code 111 is a fatal error involving the U.S. state of origin code for Puerto Rico. Census said the state of origin code must be “PR” for shipments exported from Puerto Rico to the U.S. The filer should verify the state of origin code, the country of ultimate destination code, correct the shipment and resubmit.
President Joe Biden on Dec. 23 signed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which includes a sanctions provision targeting human rights abusers in China. Congress passed the bill earlier this month (see 2112140077 and 2112160076).
The Defense Department recently issued a document outlining its procedures for reviewing transactions filed with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. The 45-page document, issued Dec. 16, “establishes policy, assigns responsibilities, and provides procedures for DoD participation” in CFIUS, including its national security investigations, the non-notified transaction process and communication with other committee members.
The Bureau of Industry and Security this week released Spanish-language versions of two export compliance documents to make its materials “more accessible” to those whose primary language is Spanish. The documents are BIS’s Elementos de un ECP (Elements of an Export Compliance Program) and Directrices de Cumplimiento Para Las Exportaciones (Export Compliance Guidelines). The agency said Spanish is the second-most-frequently spoken language in the U.S. And even though a “disproportionately small number” of minority-owned businesses are exporters, “those that do export benefit more from exporting, as a percentage of receipts, when compared to nonminority-owned exporting firms,” BIS said. The agency said it hopes the translated guidance helps to “grow participation and diversity in the export economy by providing resources to help encourage more minority business enterprises to export their products.”
Zoom Video Communications recently disclosed potential export control violations to the U.S. government, according to its Securities and Exchange Commission filing. Zoom said it submitted a voluntary self-disclosure to the Bureau of Industry and Security in June “regarding compliance with certain U.S. export control laws and regulations.” The company said it may be subject to fines or other penalties. Although it didn’t provide specific details, Zoom said it may have “inadvertently” allowed its platform and products to be used by customers in ways that violate U.S. sanctions laws. It also said it may have allowed its software products to be used by end-users in embargoed or sanctioned countries, which could have violated the Export Administration Regulations. “While we are working to implement additional controls designed to prevent similar activity from occurring in the future, these controls may not be fully effective,” Zoom said in the November filing.
The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach again postponed a new surcharge meant to incentivize the movement of dwelling containers, the two ports announced Dec. 20. The ports originally planned to begin imposing the fee Nov. 15, but have postponed it several times (see 2111030027 and 2110280031). The latest extension delays the effective date to Dec. 27.
The Port of Long Beach will soon launch a data tool to help shippers better track their cargo and reduce container delays, the port said Dec. 16. The tool, which will launch in partnership with technology firm UNCOMN, will provide shippers with a free “cargo visibility service software” that will provide shipping data across all transportation modes, the port said. The soft launch of the tool, called the “Supply Chain Information Highway,” is expected in February.