Typhoons hitting Korea and Japan will probably cause delays
Two typhoons ripped through the Western Pacific the first week of September, disrupting shipping in Korea and Japan. Expect delays in cargo originating in these countries.
Container rate records are shattered as US imports surge (From American Shipper)
Just how high can Asia-U.S. West Coast spot rates go? They blew past $3,000 per forty-foot equivalent unit (FEU) in early August and have been climbing ever since. They’ve just topped $3,700. Can they reach $4,000?
No one predicted that the container industry would be doing this well, this quickly…The bullish view is that import demand will continue to surprise to the upside…The bearish view is that the economic-fallout shoe has yet to drop. For more info, please go to
Ed. Note: There is a significant shortage of containers in China that will exacerbate this.
CBP Offers Tips on Avoiding and Remediating Forced Labor Issues As Enforcement Increases (From Sandler Travis Rosenberg Trade Report)
Imports of goods that may have been made with forced labor are under increasing scrutiny by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which has accelerated its issuance of orders to detain such imports at U.S. borders and has even begun issuing penalties. Products including apparel, cotton, hair products, toys, disposable gloves, diamonds, and food items have been targeted. For more info, and some tips on avoiding and remediating forced labor issues, please go to
Detention order sought for all textiles and apparel items coming from the Uyghur Autonomous Region in China (From Sandler Travis Rosenberg Trade Report)
A petition filed with U.S. Customs and Border Protection Aug. 28 seeks the issuance of a regional withhold release order that would detain imports of the following products at U.S. borders due to concerns that they are being made with forced labor.
– all finished textile and apparel goods assembled by supplier companies in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region
– all finished textile and apparel goods that contain inputs (including cotton, yarn, or fabric) produced by companies that own or operate facilities in the XUAR that have accepted Chinese government subsidies or employed workers provided by the government, regardless of whether the finished goods are produced in the XUAR (including in other countries)
The petition asserts that there is an “abundance of evidence” that “the system of forced labor is so extensive that there is reason to believe that most cotton-based products linked to the Uyghur region are a product wholly or in part of forced labor.” For more info, please go to
Generalized System of Preference (GSP)
GSP is a duty preference program that offers most lesser developed countries (LDC’s) duty-free or reduced duty treatment on all or most of their merchandise imported into the U.S. GSP expires on December 31, 2020. Congress has historically always reinstated it retroactively, but in this political environment, we cannot predict. Please contact our office for any questions.
MPF minimum and maximums increase Oct 1
Pursuant to the General Notice (85 FR 45646) published July 29, 2020, various changes to user fees within the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) of 1985 will take effect on October 1, 2020.
The Merchandise Processing Fee (MPF) ad valorem rate of 0.3464% will NOT change. The MPF minimum and maximum for formal entries (class code 499) will change. The minimum will change from $26.79 to $27.23; and the maximum will change from $519.76 to $528.33. The fee for informal entry or release (class code 311) will change to $2.18. The surcharge for manual entry or release will change to $3.27. The General Notice may be accessed at:
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2020-07-29/pdf/2020-16450.pdf
We have moved!
Effective on September 8, our new address is
5036 Clark Howell Hwy College Park, GA 30349
We are experiencing problems with our DID numbers, which should be resolved in 10-14 days. Please use the main line, 404-361-1114, then the extension. A list of our contacts is attached for your convenience. All other contact details remain the same.