The Office of Foreign Assets Control designated members of an international oil smuggling network that facilitated oil trades and generated revenue for Hezbollah and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF), according to a Nov. 3 OFAC notice.
The EU dropped seven individuals from its Tunisia sanctions regime. In an Oct. 27 decision, the European Council delisted Mohamed Ben Moncef Ben Mohamed Trabelsi, Kais Ben Slaheddine Ben Haj Hamda Ben Ali, Hamda Ben Slaheddine Ben Haj Hamda Ben Ali, Najmeddine Ben Slaheddine Ben Haj Hamda Ben Ali, Najet Bent Slaheddine Ben Haj Hamda Ben Ali, Imed Ben Habib Ben Bouali Ltaief and Naoufel Ben Habib Ben Bouali Ltaief. All seven were originally listed in 2011 for misappropriating Tunisian state funds. The EU General Court in 2013 annulled the listing for Trabelsi, leading the council to amend the reasons for his listing.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control has updated its Frequently Asked Questions to give additional guidance regarding the transport of Russian crude oil prior to the implementation of the oil price cap. FAQ 1094, issued Oct. 31, explains that Russian-origin crude oil loaded onto a vessel for maritime transport prior to Dec. 5 will not be subject to the price cap (also known as the “maritime services policy”) provided that the oil is unloaded at the port of destination prior to 12:01 a.m. EST, Jan. 19, 2023.
Brazil and Canada recently announced antidumping duty actions and decisions on certain products from mainland China, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported Oct. 24.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week renewed a general license that authorizes certain transactions with Russia-based Public Joint Stock Company Transkapitalbank. General License 28A, which replaces GL 28, renews the authorization through 12:01 a.m. EST Jan. 18, 2023, for transactions with TKB and its majority-owned subsidiaries if those transactions are destined for or originating from Afghanistan. The license was scheduled to expire Oct. 20 (see 2204200055).
Two more weeks of strikes can be expected at Britain's Port of Liverpool, with dockworkers planning the extension after the pay dispute escalated between the union and employer Peel Ports Ltd. over job losses, the Unite union said in a statement Oct. 14. Nearly 600 workers plan to walk out Oct. 24 to Nov. 7 after the ongoing strike that ends Oct. 17 and an original two-week strike that began Sept. 19.
A recently signed California law will “significantly” limit the ability of marine container providers or terminals to impose detention and demurrage charges, law firm Cozen O’Connor said in an alert this month. The law, effective Jan. 1, outlines 10 situations in which container providers will not be able to begin or continue free time or impose fees on motor carriers and cargo owners “due to circumstances ostensibly beyond those parties’ control,” the firm said.
Talks continue on the accessuib of the U.K. to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, Singapore's trade minister, Gan Kim Yong, said during a CPTPP meeting, Bloomberg reported Oct. 8. The U.K. is the first country outside the original 11 members to request to join the group and the first in Europe. Members are Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. Japanese Finance Minister Daishiro Yamagiwa said there is no fixed timeline to carry out the process of admitting the U.K. to the group.
Some exporters are still facing penalties for minor errors made in Automated Export System filings despite efforts by CBP and the Census Bureau to rein in those fines. Omari Wooden, Census’ assistant division chief for trade outreach and regulations, said those penalties, often referred to as “parking ticket violations,” have been an “ongoing issue” with CBP.
India's Directorate General of Foreign Trade in an Oct. 4 notice clarified that a Sept. 28 notice banning the export of broken rice under Harmonized System code 10064000 does not apply to "Rice (5% and 25%)." The DGFT said that the normal rice had already been exempted and is not broken rice since it has permissible limits of broken rice. However, the exempted rice -- Rice (5% and 25%) -- will be subject to a 20% duty, per the original notice (see 2209090017), the DGFT said.