The Export-Import Bank of the U.S. opened a 25-day comment period on a long-term loan or financial guarantee in excess of $100 million. In a Federal Register notice scheduled for Nov. 15, it said the loan would support the export of goods and design, engineering and construction services used for the rehabilitation and expansion of a hospital in Ghana. The principal supplier would be Americaribe Inc. Comments are due by Dec. 10 to WWW.REGULATIONS.GOV.

The International Trade Administration released on Nov. 13 the third edition of its “Trade Finance Guide: A Quick Reference for U.S. Exporters.” The guide was created for small and medium-sized businesses. Written in plain language, with each chapter only two pages long, the guide has been distributed as a self-learning tool to exporters, as a counseling tool to financial institution professionals, and as an educational tool for college professors teaching international business. The third edition includes a new chapter on consignment and government-backed agricultural export financing. The guide is available here.

Climax Molybdenum Marketing Co. will pay $9,000 to settle Bureau of Industry and Security charges that it violated antiboycott provisions of the Export Administration Regulations. Climax, doing business with a Kuwaiti company in early 2008, failed to report two requests to engage in a foreign boycott in violation of Section 760.5 of the EAR, and then furnished information about its relationships with boycotted countries or blacklisted persons in violation of Section 760.2(d) of the EAR, BIS said. Specifically, Climax did not report a requirement that the carrying vessel be allowed to enter Kuwaiti ports, and certified that its carrying vessel met the requirement, the charging letter said. If Climax does not pay the penalty within 30 days of the order, interest will accrue and BIS will suspend Climax’s export privileges for one year. Climax did not admit its guilt in the settlement agreement.

The International Trade Administration plans a webinar Nov. 14 at 2 p.m. ET on upcoming changes in export controls in the marine industry. The Bureau of Industry and Security engineer responsible for Export Administration Regulations Category 8 will provide an overview of upcoming reforms that will bring International Traffic in Arms Regulations controlled products into BIS jurisdiction. Marine products that will be affected include submersible vessels, oceanographic equipment and related articles, as well as surface vessels of war and special naval equipment. The one hour webinar will be followed by a question and answer session. Registration for the webinar is available here.

The Foreign Agricultural Service’s Guangzhou Agricultural Trade Office (ATO) is working to tackle the problem of inconsistent customs valuation of some goods, including agricultural products, when imported into China, according to a Nov. 2 Global Agricultural Information Network report. Port officials in Shenzhen, who are responsible for determining valuation for merchandise entering under Harmonized System chapters 1-46 for all ports in China, often base their tariff calculations on their unique assessment of the commodity’s value, as opposed to the contract price or many other factors that are usually determinative of fair market prices around the world, FAS said.

The Export-Import Bank of the U.S. is opening a 25-day comment period on a long-term loan or financial guarantee of more than $100 million to support the export of mining trucks and bulldozers to Ukraine, it said in a Federal Register notice scheduled for Nov. 9. Caterpillar Inc. is the principal supplier to OJSC Ferrexpo Poltava Mining, Ukraine; OJSC Ferrexpo Yeristovo Mining, Ukraine; OJSC Ferrexpo Belanovo Mining, Ukraine. Comments are due by Dec. 4 via WWW.REGULATIONS.GOV.

The Bureau of Industry and Security’s Office of Technology Evaluation (OTE) reported on the impact of export controls on the U.S. space industry in the preliminary findings of a study it conducted with the U.S. Air Force, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the National Reconnaissance Office. The report, “U.S. Space Technology ‘Deep Dive’ Preliminary Results and Findings,” is the result of a survey of companies, universities, and government agencies. Export control-related highlights follow:

Amazon published a free manual on exporting for retail businesses, entitled “Global Selling with Amazon.” The manual, available only on Amazon’s Kindle e-reader, is a guide “to help sellers expand their business globally by providing an overview of this opportunity, steps that you should take when you expand your business to other marketplaces, and some solutions developed by Amazon to help you sell and fulfill your customer orders,” Amazon said. The manual also includes information on topics including customs; taxation; intellectual property rights; parallel importation; export controls; markings and labels; environmental, health, and safety; and product compliance.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission extended the deadline until Dec. 24 for the public scoping process and comment period for the Oregon LNG Export Project proposed by LNG Development Co. and Oregon Pipeline Co. in Docket No. PF12-18-000 and the Washington Expansion Project proposed by Northwest Pipeline GP (Northwest), in Docket No. PF12-20-000, it said in a Federal Register notice set for Nov. 7.

The Export-Import Bank of the U.S. is seeking comments on a long-term loan or financial guarantee in excess of $100 million to support the export of Boeing 737 aircraft to be used by Comair Ltd. for service in South Africa, it said in a Federal Register notice scheduled for Nov. 6. Comments are due by Dec. 1 via WWW.REGULATIONS.GOV.