NCBFAA

The National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America’s general counsel Ed Greenberg looks forward to spending time with his grandson.

The National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America said its members are tired of ocean carriers charging them hundreds of dollars over their service contract rates.

COVID-19 may have disrupted supply chains but not the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission’s regulatory and policy focus on ocean container shipping, FMC chairman says.

Roundup comprises elections and selections by Atlas Air, Elemica, Georgia Ports Authority, Hapag-Lloyd, NCBFAA and VeriShip.

Third-party logistics services providers involved in international trade remain concerned about how their businesses will remerge post-COVID-19. They are addressing tough questions about what it will take in terms of staff, systems and office space to operate a successful company.

NCBFAA President Janet Fields has knowledge and skills to lead industry through worst of times, former association President Amy Magnus says.

The duty deferment applies to qualifying importers facing “significant financial hardship,” Customs and Border Protection said.

Problem-solving supply chain bottlenecks is the way to build customer loyalty, freight experts say.

Third-party logistics providers engaged in international trade are facing the difficult decision of whether to thin staff or even close altogether in the face of a prolonged economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Members of the Washington, D.C.-based National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America interviewed by American Shipper this week generally praised CBP for permitting the flow of legitimate trade across the continent.

The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission said there has been no shortage of container-shipping industry members willing to participate in its initiative to identify ways to overcome supply chain obstacles caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection attributed the cancellation to “the unprecedented situation related to coronavirus (COVID-19) across the country, and the closure of our testing centers.”

Office operations that remain open implement CDC guidance to protect employees from spreading or contracting COVID-19.

The test in Customs and Border Protection’s Automated Commercial Environment will be the third between the Fish and Wildlife Service and relevant importers since May 2016.

“We are seeing drawback for commodities/products where we did not see it before,” said Michael Cerny, chief legal officer for duty drawback specialist Charter Brokerage.

Customs and Border Protection moved the nationwide tests to early April and October “due to limited availability of testing sites and to ensure the integrity of exam conditions.”

The National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America picks Whitmer & Worrall after longtime Capitol Hill representative Jon Kent announced his retirement in September.

The NCBFAA, which represents the customs brokerage industry, has become increasingly upset with the management at the Customs and Border Protection-contracted test sites and the way applicants are treated.

Shippers and NVOs urge the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission to implement the interpretive rule, while ocean carriers and marine terminals say it needs further refining.

NCBFAA generally supports Customs and Border Protection’s goal to protect against illicit importers but said the agency’s proposed importer verification rule has “grossly miscalculated the cost” to customs brokers.

The association, which represents the country’s customs brokers and freight forwarders, seeks better engagement between Customs and Border Protection and industry software vendors.

The National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America will work with U.S. Customs and Border Protection to develop the education program.

The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission does not expect easy answers to the question of how to fairly assess demurrage and detention when Customs and Border Protection holds containers.

The AgTC asked the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission to extend the comment deadline to Oct. 31, calling the rule “the most relevant and far-reaching initiative taken by the FMC in many years.”

The NCBFAA proposes amending the U.S Bankruptcy Code to allow “subrogation” rights for customs brokers who have paid duties to the U.S. government on behalf of a bankrupt importer.

South Florida’s customs brokers and forwarder employees begin returning to their offices, with the region mostly avoiding the damaging effects of the hurricane.

After 35 years representing the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America on Capitol Hill, Jon Kent has decided it is time to retire.

The National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America welcomed a recently proposed rule from U.S. Customs and Border Protection that requires customs brokers to have a more complete identification of their importer clients.

With their vast knowledge of imports, customs brokers see themselves playing an important role in the battle against counterfeit goods.