UPS will buy assets and operations of two Costa Rican companies, Union Pak de Costa Rica and SEISA brokerage, an acquisition that will help “better connect Costa Rica’s expanding economy to regional and world markets” through the UPS market. UPS said they will now be “better positioned” to provide Costa Rican shippers with “one source for small package, freight forwarding, brokerage, and contract logistics, with a stronger link to UPS’s global transportation network.” The additions will also provide access to multi-modal services, which will improve shipping capabilities across borders and boost export trade lanes from Latin America to the U.S. UPS said they expect to complete the transactions in the fourth quarter of 2013.

Indonesia will announce acceptance of “merchandise passports,” also known as carnets, during the December’s World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference in Bali, a move that should boost U.S. trade with the country, said the U.S. Council for International Business. "Indonesia aims to begin accepting ATA Carnets in early 2014," said the USCIB. The 73 countries that participate in the ATA Carnets passport system waive customs duties and taxes on various goods brought into a country temporarily.

The most recent round of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations included fewer opportunities for stakeholder input than previous rounds, said Knowledge Ecology International in a blog post (here). Previous rounds included a briefing and question-and-answer session with chief negotiators, while this round only made negotiators available during a "dialogue," the post said. "It's not a great process and even if you know who all the chiefs are, if you want to know the position of a country on a particular issue, you have to hunt down every chief individually and repeat your concerns and follow it up with your question." The time for stakeholder presentations was shortened to seven minutes, KEI wrote. "In 7 minutes it is difficult to say anything of substance or present much analysis." The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative didn't comment.

Livingston International will be one of the nine customs brokerages to test CBP's broker importer security assessment (ISA) pre-certification program, the company said in a press release. UPS and A.N. Deringer also recently said they would test the program (see 13081415 and 13081610). CBP declined to provide the names of the other participants, but said it would release them soon.

According to poll results released Aug. 20 by the American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce U.S., senior executives are optimistic about future U.S. investment in Southeast Asia, with 91 percent of 475 respondents expecting investment and trade to increase in the coming five years. But the respondents expressed concern over regional corruption, burdensome laws and regulations, infrastructure inferiority and customs procedures. Respondents said they expect the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) to provide significant potential for business growth.

The global importation of wood chips has increased over the past 10 years, reaching the “second highest import levels on record in 2012” at just over 31 million tons, according to the Wood Resources Quarterly market report. The report indicated that the 2012 global chip trade was valued at over $5 billion, “slightly below the all-time high in 2011.”

A.N. Deringer will be one of the nine customs brokerages to test CBP's broker importer security assessment (ISA) pre-certification program, the company said in a press release. UPS also recently said it would be a participant in the program (see 13081415). CBP declined to provide the names of the other seven participants, but said it would release them soon.

UPS will be one of nine customs brokerages testing CBP's broker importer security assessment (ISA) pre-certification program, the company said. The program, announced in April (see 13041623), is hoped to make use of customs broker relationships to increase importer participation within ISA. CBP didn't return a request for comment on whether other participants have been announced.

The Justice Department filed a civil antitrust lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to stop the planned merger between US Airways Group and AMR Corp., the parent company of American Airlines, the DOJ said in a press release. The merger, "which would result in the creation of the world’s largest airline, would substantially lessen competition for commercial air travel in local markets throughout" the U.S., said the DOJ. The suit was joined by attorneys general from Washington, D.C., Texas, Arizona, Florida, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Virginia. Both airlines offer some cargo transport.

Kewill, provider of multimodal transportation software, announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire assets of Four Soft, an Indian software company with over 400 customers. The acquisition is expected to close in 90 days, according to an Aug. 10 Kewill press release. Bob Farrell, Kewill’s President and CEO, said the acquisition was part of the company’s “strategic plan to significantly grow the Kewill business over the next five years.” The completed acquisition will give Kewill “enhanced products, technology and domain skills” to enhance its “market leading position,” Farrell said.