The Federal Maritime Commission is granting ocean carriers special permission to immediately hike rates on containers that are being rerouted around the southern cape of Africa, in response to concerns over possible Houthi rebel attacks on usual routes through the Red Sea.
Ian Cohen
Ian Cohen, Deputy Managing Editor, is a reporter with Export Compliance Daily and its sister publications International Trade Today and Trade Law Daily, where he covers export controls, sanctions and international trade issues. He previously worked as a local government reporter in South Florida. Ian graduated with a journalism degree from the University of Florida in 2017 and lives in Washington, D.C. He joined the staff of Warren Communications News in 2019.
The State Department’s recently published fall 2023 regulatory agenda mentions rules that will update defense export controls and make other changes and clarifications to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations.
The Bureau of Industry and Security published a new set of frequently asked questions for its recently updated semiconductor export controls (see 2310170055), offering guidance on the agency’s new export notification requirement, its controls on U.S. persons activities, the scope of its end-use controls, direction for electronic export information filers and more. The FAQs also give input on several export scenarios that may require a license and preview at least one export control revision that BIS plans to make.
The Netherlands “partially revoked” an ASML export license that allowed the Dutch chip equipment maker to send certain advanced semiconductor equipment to China, ASML said Jan. 1. The company said it now faces new restrictions on exports of NXT:2050i and NXT:2100i lithography systems to China, which it said will affect a “small number” of customers in the country.
The Federal Maritime Commission finalized several changes to its rules for carrier automated tariffs, including one that would bar carriers from charging a fee to access their tariff systems and others that aim to increase transparency around certain “pass-through” charges assessed to shippers. The FMC also abandoned a proposed change that would have required the documentation for a broader range of containers to include the name of all non-vessel operating common carriers with touchpoints to that cargo, a proposal that faced strong opposition from multiple trade groups and logistics companies.
The Commerce Department published its fall 2023 regulatory agenda for the Bureau of Industry and Security, including proposed rules involving its export controls for semiconductors and semiconductor equipment.
The U.K.’s lead sanctions agency plans to add more employees and resources over the next year, saying that should lead to speedier decisions on license applications and more sanctions-related investigations. It also said it will soon issue penalties for Russia-related violations and wants to expand its mandatory sanctions reporting requirements.
The Commerce Department clarified this week that companies can’t use Chips Act funding to invest in certain new semiconductor facilities in China and other countries of concern, saying some companies may have thought the rules blocked only certain investments in existing facilities.
The Office of Foreign Asset Control’s $1.2 million settlement with San Francisco-based currency exchange CoinList Markets this month shows U.S. sanctions enforcement of the cryptocurrency industry continues to be a “focus” for OFAC, Sheppard Mullin said in a December client alert. The firm said the case highlights the importance of virtual currency exchanges investing in compliance controls, especially if they offer financial services to customers around the world.
The Bureau of Industry and Security may be preparing to introduce new export rules for certain firearms, gun parts and ammunition, including one change that would require certain end-users to submit their passports to BIS and another that would shorten the validity period of certain licenses from four years to one year. Other changes could introduce new Export Control Classification Numbers for certain firearms and parts, require exporters to first obtain an import certificate from the importing country, and create a new working group to review firearms-related license applications.