Industry Insights

The International Trade Administration (ITA) under the U.S. Department of Commerce is charged with assisting businesses in competing in the global marketplace. Last year alone, U.S. exported goods and services were valued at a combined total of $2.34 trillion, and the federal agency continues to help boost exports with several key initiatives designed to foster […]

Announcement of ACE NCAP Test for RLF Entries On July 13, 2015, a Federal Register Notice (FRN) was published announcing CBP’s plan to proceed with a National Customs Automation Program (NCAP) test concerning ACE entries filed using remote location filing (RLF) procedures. The initial phase of this test began on August 12, 2015. ACE RLF Procedures […]

Roanoke’s CBP bond underwriters have heightened concerns on certain sugar importations from Mexico. Licensed customs brokers should beware of potential liquidated damage exposures relating to failure to provide export licenses. On September 4, 2014, the Department of Commerce (DOC) published a preliminary countervailing duty determination on case no. C-201-846 in the Federal Register (see admin […]

The world’s third-largest port in terms of total cargo volume in Tianjin, China was hit on Aug. 12 by explosions at a hazardous-chemicals warehouse that damaged a large industrial area and sent shock waves across several kilometers. So far reports indicate that 114 people were killed. Initial estimates from Chinese media reports also indicate that […]

New regulations covering the safe shipment of lithium batteries went into effect beginning August 7, 2015, after being pushed back by six months to allow the industry enough time to adjust to the new requirements. Ruling HM-224F, set by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), requires shippers moving lithium […]

Munich Reinsurance Company, one of the world’s leading reinsurers, earlier this month released its review on natural catastrophes for the first half of 2015. (Roanoke Trade is a subsidiary of Munich Re Group.) Although insured losses from natural catastrophes totaled about $12 billion in the first half of 2015, lower than the long-term average of […]