CBP Administrative Messages, Web Postings, Etc.

1. New Orleans Office Closed Until Further Notice Due to Hurricane Katrina

2. Snow Day for Miami Area Ports Due to Hurricane Katrina

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued an ABI administrative message announcing that, due to Hurricane Katrina, all Miami area ports were closed on Friday, August 26, 2005. A snow day has been declared for all filers. CBP states that one additional day without penalties has been extended for the filing of summaries and payment of duties due that day. (Adm: 05-1013, dated 08/29/05, available at http://www.brokerpower.com/cgi-bin/adminsearch/admmsg.view.pl?article=2005/2005-1013.ADM.)

3. Weekly Quota Commodity Report as of August 29, 2005

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued its weekly quota commodity report as of August 29, 2005. This report includes tariff-rate quotas (TRQs) on various products such as beef, tuna, sugar, dairy products, peanuts, cotton, cocoa powder, tobacco, certain JFTA, NAFTA, SFTA, UAFTA and UCFTA TRQs, etc. This report also includes the AGOA, ATPDEA, CBTPA, NAFTA, SFTA, and UCFTA (CFTA) tariff preference levels (TPLs) for qualifying apparel and/or other textile articles, the TRQs on worsted wool fabrics, etc. (CBP's weekly quota commodity report, dated 08/29/05, available at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/import/textiles_and_quotas/commodity/)

4. Posting to CBP Web Site of Updated Interconnection Security Agreements

CBP has recently posted updated Interconnection Security Agreement (ISA) documents for RJE/NJE users (dial-up) and for Frame/MQ users (MQ). CBP sources have stated by phone that these ISAs have been updated to reflect a new CBP signature authority name.

According to CBP, all those that transmit electronic data directly to CBP's Automated Export System (AES) or Automated Commercial Service (ACS) are required to have a signed ISA on file with CBP.

CBP has previously stated that an ISA is not required from those that submit electronic data to CBP's AES or ACS systems solely by any one of, or any combination of, the following methods: (a) filing through Census' AESDirect; or (b) filing through a Service Bureau, Value Added Network (VAN) or Freight Forwarder/Agent who subsequently transmits the data to CBP.

(ISA for RJE/NJE users, dated 08/26/05, is available at http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/import/operations_support/automated_systems/isa/isadial.ctt/isa_dial.doc and ISA for Frame/MQ users, dated 08/26/05 is available at http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/import/operations_support/automated_systems/isa/isaframe.ctt/isa_frame.doc.)

5. Miscellaneous CBP Messages on AD and CV Duty Actions

CBP has issued messages on a number of antidumping (AD) and countervailing (CV) duty actions, many of which (marked by an * in the action column) were previously published in the Federal Register by the International Trade Administration (ITA) and summarized in International Trade Today.

(The CBP messages marked with an * cover much of the same information as the ITA notices; however, CBP's messages often list the 10-character case number specific to each listed company(s). ITA notices only list the 7-character master case number. In addition, sometimes the master case number for CBP purposes (in parentheses, below, where applicable) differs from the ITA master case number.)

The administrative messages listed above are availablefrom http://www.brokerpower.net/admin_messages/ (and can be searched by message number, country, product, etc.).