(WTO)
Work is underway on standards for “minimizing pest movement by sea containers and conveyances in international trade”, and is at an earlier stage on similar standards for air containers and aircraft, the IPPC told the WTO’s Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures Committee.
Australia, the EU and US supported the IPPC’s call for extra funding as it faces a projected budget deficit of $1.2m in 2011 and urged delegations to raise the issue with relevant agencies in their countries.
Delegations are now close to agreeing on some actions on standards set by the private sector – mainly on defining private standards and sharing information – but continue to differ on actions beyond that. They also continue to differ on proposals on how to set up a system that would encourage members to make more use of mediation by the chairperson to resolve some of their differences.
And four new specific trade concerns, among the fewest in recent meetings, were raised as part of the committee’s main task of overseeing the SPS Agreement’s implementation, with the EU presenting a list of 14 concerns it considers to have been resolved. Read more details here.
Showing posts with label Container Inspection. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Container Inspection. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
British Forwarders Slam 100% Scanning
(Journal of Commerce Online – R.G.Edmonson)
Group calls for risk assessed, practical, feasible approach
An official of the British International Freight Association says the United States should scrap its 100% scanning program and adopt a “risk assessed, commercially practical and technologically feasible” approach to container security.
BIFA Director John O’Connell said the Department of Homeland Security had underestimated the enormity of scanning all containers, not to mention the costs to governments and the limitations of the available technology. Read more here.
Group calls for risk assessed, practical, feasible approach
An official of the British International Freight Association says the United States should scrap its 100% scanning program and adopt a “risk assessed, commercially practical and technologically feasible” approach to container security.
BIFA Director John O’Connell said the Department of Homeland Security had underestimated the enormity of scanning all containers, not to mention the costs to governments and the limitations of the available technology. Read more here.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Report Urges CBP Improvements in Detecting Biological, Chemical Threats in Cargo Containers
(World Trade Interactive)
A recent report from the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General makes several recommendations on how U.S. Customs and Border Protection can improve its ability to detect biological and chemical threats in maritime cargo containers. Biological threats, such as weaponized anthrax, smallpox and foot-and-mouth disease, are disease-causing viruses or bacteria that can kill or cause harm to individuals or agricultural resources. Chemical threats, such as sarin and mustard gas, harm individuals or groups of people through exposure to toxic chemical substances.
The report states that CBP has taken steps to mitigate the threat of nuclear and radiological weapons in maritime cargo containers but could do more to mitigate the threats posed by biological and chemical weapons. CBP officials told OIG that new devices are currently being developed and tested that could help officers rapidly detect and identify biological and chemical threats during cargo inspections, but the report points out that the agency has not yet conducted a formal risk assessment to determine which pathways pose the highest risk of biological and chemical weapons entering the U.S. and whether deploying new resources in the maritime cargo environment will therefore provide the most benefit. OIG recommended that CBP conduct or commission such an assessment, but CBP expressed a belief that it will be well-positioned to identify the highest risk pathways as a result of its participation in two DHS initiatives that are expected to be completed by August 31, 2010. Read more here.
A recent report from the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General makes several recommendations on how U.S. Customs and Border Protection can improve its ability to detect biological and chemical threats in maritime cargo containers. Biological threats, such as weaponized anthrax, smallpox and foot-and-mouth disease, are disease-causing viruses or bacteria that can kill or cause harm to individuals or agricultural resources. Chemical threats, such as sarin and mustard gas, harm individuals or groups of people through exposure to toxic chemical substances.
The report states that CBP has taken steps to mitigate the threat of nuclear and radiological weapons in maritime cargo containers but could do more to mitigate the threats posed by biological and chemical weapons. CBP officials told OIG that new devices are currently being developed and tested that could help officers rapidly detect and identify biological and chemical threats during cargo inspections, but the report points out that the agency has not yet conducted a formal risk assessment to determine which pathways pose the highest risk of biological and chemical weapons entering the U.S. and whether deploying new resources in the maritime cargo environment will therefore provide the most benefit. OIG recommended that CBP conduct or commission such an assessment, but CBP expressed a belief that it will be well-positioned to identify the highest risk pathways as a result of its participation in two DHS initiatives that are expected to be completed by August 31, 2010. Read more here.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
U.S. Manifest and Entry Requirements for Containers Containing Residues
(Canadian Trucking Alliance)
CTA has just received further clarification from U.S. Customs on the modification to ruling HQ113129 requiring a manifest and entry for all residue entering the U.S.
Customs and Border Protection has clarified that all residue remaining in a tanker must have both a manifest and entry on file. This requirement applies to residue from any and all cargo types, not just chemicals, as long as the residue is that of the cargo. For example, if a tanker filled with milk offloads in Canada, and milk residue remains in the tank, the milk residue must have a manifest and an entry filed prior to return to the U.S.
Residue that is incidental to the cargo (residual lubricant oil from auto parts) does not require a manifest or an entry. In this case, the cargo is auto parts not the lubricant oil.
Residue remaining in means of containment such as kegs, casks, barrels and drums does not require a manifest or an entry.
Every tanker that crosses into the U.S. should be cleaned of residue, otherwise the tanker is deemed “not empty” and the residue must be manifested and cleared through a Broker.
Please note the ruling will become effective September 16, 2009, at which time there may be increased enforcement by CBP for failure to manifest and declare residue.
The ruling on page 138 can be found here (PDF).
CTA has just received further clarification from U.S. Customs on the modification to ruling HQ113129 requiring a manifest and entry for all residue entering the U.S.
Customs and Border Protection has clarified that all residue remaining in a tanker must have both a manifest and entry on file. This requirement applies to residue from any and all cargo types, not just chemicals, as long as the residue is that of the cargo. For example, if a tanker filled with milk offloads in Canada, and milk residue remains in the tank, the milk residue must have a manifest and an entry filed prior to return to the U.S.
Residue that is incidental to the cargo (residual lubricant oil from auto parts) does not require a manifest or an entry. In this case, the cargo is auto parts not the lubricant oil.
Residue remaining in means of containment such as kegs, casks, barrels and drums does not require a manifest or an entry.
Every tanker that crosses into the U.S. should be cleaned of residue, otherwise the tanker is deemed “not empty” and the residue must be manifested and cleared through a Broker.
Please note the ruling will become effective September 16, 2009, at which time there may be increased enforcement by CBP for failure to manifest and declare residue.
The ruling on page 138 can be found here (PDF).
Friday, July 25, 2008
Shipping Federation Works to Free Containers
(Montreal Gazette – Mike King)
A national group representing owners, operators, charterers and agents of vessels engaged in Canada’s overseas commerce is attempting to break a backlog of shipments being held excessively long at ports on both coasts because of new customs testing rules for cargo containers.
“We’re working with the Canada Border Services Agency to get rid of the backed-up shipments,” James Moram, director of marine administration at the Shipping Federation of Canada, said yesterday from Halifax before returning to Montreal headquarters.
“Things are being done to try to clear up the Port of Halifax,” where he said there is a 77-container backlog with an average 17-day delay before they are cleared for delivery to their final destinations – more than three times the normal turnaround period.
“It’s costing importers an arm and a leg as well as lots of frustration,” Moram said.
One of the 40-foot containers carrying a wide variety of goods for eight Montreal customers, including Bombardier Inc., and five clients in Toronto, including Ford Canada, has been sitting there since June 14. Gillespie-Munro Inc., the Montreal-based international freight-forwarding firm responsible for the shipment, has been fielding angry calls from the increasingly impatient importers.
“Now everybody is yelling at us because they all think we’re lying to them,” said Chris Gillespie, president and CEO of the family company. “My staff is getting pummeled every day from the importers. “It has gone beyond all common sense,” Gillespie added. “We’re being brutalized.”
The problem began last month when the border services agency ordered all marine containers randomly selected for inspection for contraband also be tested for formaldehyde – one of six common gases used for fumigation – as a means of protecting customs employees from any possible exposure to hazardous chemicals.
But the levels of formaldehyde deemed safe by Customs on instructions of Health Canada – 0.15 parts per million, less than is found in hardwood floors, for example – have meant virtually every container has tested positive and had to be held for ventilation.
Although ventilation should not take more than a day, border services isn’t giving any explanation why the containers are being kept longer.
While the CBSA recognizes the testing and ventilation of containers is causing delays with the movement of containers and is subsequently taking action, Moram’s shipping federation, the Canadian International Freight Forwarders Association and the Canadian Association of Importers and Exporters, argue the testing for formaldehyde has caused and continues to cause serious harm to the entire importing and exporting community.
They say Canadian importers are facing cancelled orders, back-to-school goods aren’t reaching the retail shelves on time, late project and construction materials are creating fines and delays while administration and tracking expenses are skyrocketing.
There have also been big backlogs at the Port of Vancouver, but Patrice Pelletier, Port of Montreal president and chief executive officer, said yesterday there are no such delays here.
A national group representing owners, operators, charterers and agents of vessels engaged in Canada’s overseas commerce is attempting to break a backlog of shipments being held excessively long at ports on both coasts because of new customs testing rules for cargo containers.
“We’re working with the Canada Border Services Agency to get rid of the backed-up shipments,” James Moram, director of marine administration at the Shipping Federation of Canada, said yesterday from Halifax before returning to Montreal headquarters.
“Things are being done to try to clear up the Port of Halifax,” where he said there is a 77-container backlog with an average 17-day delay before they are cleared for delivery to their final destinations – more than three times the normal turnaround period.
“It’s costing importers an arm and a leg as well as lots of frustration,” Moram said.
One of the 40-foot containers carrying a wide variety of goods for eight Montreal customers, including Bombardier Inc., and five clients in Toronto, including Ford Canada, has been sitting there since June 14. Gillespie-Munro Inc., the Montreal-based international freight-forwarding firm responsible for the shipment, has been fielding angry calls from the increasingly impatient importers.
“Now everybody is yelling at us because they all think we’re lying to them,” said Chris Gillespie, president and CEO of the family company. “My staff is getting pummeled every day from the importers. “It has gone beyond all common sense,” Gillespie added. “We’re being brutalized.”
The problem began last month when the border services agency ordered all marine containers randomly selected for inspection for contraband also be tested for formaldehyde – one of six common gases used for fumigation – as a means of protecting customs employees from any possible exposure to hazardous chemicals.
But the levels of formaldehyde deemed safe by Customs on instructions of Health Canada – 0.15 parts per million, less than is found in hardwood floors, for example – have meant virtually every container has tested positive and had to be held for ventilation.
Although ventilation should not take more than a day, border services isn’t giving any explanation why the containers are being kept longer.
While the CBSA recognizes the testing and ventilation of containers is causing delays with the movement of containers and is subsequently taking action, Moram’s shipping federation, the Canadian International Freight Forwarders Association and the Canadian Association of Importers and Exporters, argue the testing for formaldehyde has caused and continues to cause serious harm to the entire importing and exporting community.
They say Canadian importers are facing cancelled orders, back-to-school goods aren’t reaching the retail shelves on time, late project and construction materials are creating fines and delays while administration and tracking expenses are skyrocketing.
There have also been big backlogs at the Port of Vancouver, but Patrice Pelletier, Port of Montreal president and chief executive officer, said yesterday there are no such delays here.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Companies Hurt While Inventories Waylaid at Ports by CBSA Rules
(CBC News)
Newly expanded rules at the Canada Border Services Agency to test for fumes in containers arriving at ports across the country are putting businesses — and Canadian trade — under threat, business owners say.
The backlog of containers docked at ports across the country has been growing since the CBSA added formaldehyde to the list of fumigants its employees must test for before the marine containers can travel to their final destinations.
Port authorities say many more containers have come up positive since formaldehyde was listed in June, making them too dangerous for examination by inspectors and leaving their cargo stuck at port for weeks, instead of days.
“Sales orders are being cancelled because goods are not being delivered as per the sales contracts. Canadian importers are suffering, Canada’s trade is suffering,” Ruth Snowden, executive director of the Canadian International Freight Forwarders Association, told CBC News.
CBSA regulations dictate that containers that test positive have to be ventilated until fumigants reach an acceptable level. Freight companies, however, are demanding the government agency reconsider the rules in order to get the containers moving again, and to keep their customers in business.
One woman who owns a coffee roasting business in London, Ont., said that if her beans — which were supposed to be delivered from South America three weeks ago — arrive spoiled, they will ruin her business too.
“I can’t sell coffee, I don’t have revenue,” said Maria Fiallos, owner of Las Chicas del Café. “I don’t have revenue for my Canadian business, I don’t have revenue for the coffee growers in Nicaragua.”
Another business owner, Mike Calnan, is still waiting for a shipment of antique vehicles from Britain that were scheduled to appear at the Ottawa air show on Canada Day. He said their absence was an incredible disappointment after he put almost a year’s work into getting them to Canada.
Both Calnan’s and Fiallos’ shipments are sitting idle at the Port of Halifax, where almost every container that has arrived in the last three weeks and has been targeted for testing has come up positive for formaldehyde — a chemical commonly found in glue and used in everything from cars to furniture.
“We’re very concerned about it and we urge the CBSA to work to improve the process to basically minimize the delays,” said the Halifax port’s manager of business development, Patrick Bohan.
The CBSA has said it is looking into new “highly sensitive detection technology” that may make the testing process more efficient, but that the health and safety of its employees is its top priority.
Some experts say formaldehyde could lead to cancer if people are exposed to very small amounts over long periods of time, as evidenced in experiments with animals.
“At no time will the CBSA compromise the health and safety of its employees. CBSA has the appropriate measures in place to protect its employees from any possible exposure to hazardous chemicals,” the CBSA agency said in a statement this week.
Newly expanded rules at the Canada Border Services Agency to test for fumes in containers arriving at ports across the country are putting businesses — and Canadian trade — under threat, business owners say.
The backlog of containers docked at ports across the country has been growing since the CBSA added formaldehyde to the list of fumigants its employees must test for before the marine containers can travel to their final destinations.
Port authorities say many more containers have come up positive since formaldehyde was listed in June, making them too dangerous for examination by inspectors and leaving their cargo stuck at port for weeks, instead of days.
“Sales orders are being cancelled because goods are not being delivered as per the sales contracts. Canadian importers are suffering, Canada’s trade is suffering,” Ruth Snowden, executive director of the Canadian International Freight Forwarders Association, told CBC News.
CBSA regulations dictate that containers that test positive have to be ventilated until fumigants reach an acceptable level. Freight companies, however, are demanding the government agency reconsider the rules in order to get the containers moving again, and to keep their customers in business.
One woman who owns a coffee roasting business in London, Ont., said that if her beans — which were supposed to be delivered from South America three weeks ago — arrive spoiled, they will ruin her business too.
“I can’t sell coffee, I don’t have revenue,” said Maria Fiallos, owner of Las Chicas del Café. “I don’t have revenue for my Canadian business, I don’t have revenue for the coffee growers in Nicaragua.”
Another business owner, Mike Calnan, is still waiting for a shipment of antique vehicles from Britain that were scheduled to appear at the Ottawa air show on Canada Day. He said their absence was an incredible disappointment after he put almost a year’s work into getting them to Canada.
Both Calnan’s and Fiallos’ shipments are sitting idle at the Port of Halifax, where almost every container that has arrived in the last three weeks and has been targeted for testing has come up positive for formaldehyde — a chemical commonly found in glue and used in everything from cars to furniture.
“We’re very concerned about it and we urge the CBSA to work to improve the process to basically minimize the delays,” said the Halifax port’s manager of business development, Patrick Bohan.
The CBSA has said it is looking into new “highly sensitive detection technology” that may make the testing process more efficient, but that the health and safety of its employees is its top priority.
Some experts say formaldehyde could lead to cancer if people are exposed to very small amounts over long periods of time, as evidenced in experiments with animals.
“At no time will the CBSA compromise the health and safety of its employees. CBSA has the appropriate measures in place to protect its employees from any possible exposure to hazardous chemicals,” the CBSA agency said in a statement this week.
Rules on Formaldehyde Cause Backlog at Ports
(CBC News)
New rules to test fumes in containers that arrive at Canadian ports have resulted in a huge backlog of containers for inspection, according to port authorities.
The Canada Border Services Agency now requires employees to test all marine containers for fumigants, including formaldehyde, which was added to the list in June. Since then, port authorities say many more containers have tested positive, meaning they’re too dangerous for inspectors to continue examining.
“The Port Authority takes very seriously anything that causes delays in the supply chain and customers of the port are looking for consistency and reliability, and they’ve brought this matter to our attention,” said the Halifax port’s manager of business development, Patrick Bohan.
“We’re very concerned about it, and we urge CBSA to work to improve the process to basically minimize the delays in the process.”
At Maritime Ontario’s Dartmouth warehouse, dozens of containers are sitting idle while they are being aired out and ventilated with fans, which is done when an unacceptable level of fumigants is detected.
Current testing done by the CBSA checks for six common fumigants, now including formaldehyde – a chemical commonly found in glue and used in everything from cars to furniture. Some experts say formaldehyde is an allergen or skin irritant that can lead to cancer if people are exposed to very small amounts over long periods of time.
The CBSA said the health of its employees is its top priority. “At no time will the CBSA compromise the health and safety of its employees. CBSA has the appropriate measures in place to protect its employees from any possible exposure to hazardous chemicals,” the CBSA said in a statement.
The union representing port inspectors, however, said it believes the new tests may be coming up with false positives. “Our officers are very eager to see some of the hiccups, some of the problems, with testing be resolved so they can get back to doing more fully their job of protecting Canadians,” said Brett Evans, the branch president in Halifax.
The CBSA has said it is looking into new “highly sensitive detection technology” that may make the testing process more efficient.
New rules to test fumes in containers that arrive at Canadian ports have resulted in a huge backlog of containers for inspection, according to port authorities.
The Canada Border Services Agency now requires employees to test all marine containers for fumigants, including formaldehyde, which was added to the list in June. Since then, port authorities say many more containers have tested positive, meaning they’re too dangerous for inspectors to continue examining.
“The Port Authority takes very seriously anything that causes delays in the supply chain and customers of the port are looking for consistency and reliability, and they’ve brought this matter to our attention,” said the Halifax port’s manager of business development, Patrick Bohan.
“We’re very concerned about it, and we urge CBSA to work to improve the process to basically minimize the delays in the process.”
At Maritime Ontario’s Dartmouth warehouse, dozens of containers are sitting idle while they are being aired out and ventilated with fans, which is done when an unacceptable level of fumigants is detected.
Current testing done by the CBSA checks for six common fumigants, now including formaldehyde – a chemical commonly found in glue and used in everything from cars to furniture. Some experts say formaldehyde is an allergen or skin irritant that can lead to cancer if people are exposed to very small amounts over long periods of time.
The CBSA said the health of its employees is its top priority. “At no time will the CBSA compromise the health and safety of its employees. CBSA has the appropriate measures in place to protect its employees from any possible exposure to hazardous chemicals,” the CBSA said in a statement.
The union representing port inspectors, however, said it believes the new tests may be coming up with false positives. “Our officers are very eager to see some of the hiccups, some of the problems, with testing be resolved so they can get back to doing more fully their job of protecting Canadians,” said Brett Evans, the branch president in Halifax.
The CBSA has said it is looking into new “highly sensitive detection technology” that may make the testing process more efficient.
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