China recently eased Zika virus prevention requirements for shipments from the U.S., according to an update from the Foreign Agricultural Service (here). The Chinese General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine will no longer require that a certificate accompany vessels and containers from the U.S. that says the container or vessel has been treated for insects, except for vessels and containers loaded or unloaded in the state of Florida, where previously announced measures, including certificate requirements (see 1608250044), remain in effect, FAS said. Nonetheless, if adult mosquitoes, eggs, larvae or infected cases are found in any vessel during inspection at a Chinese port, Chinese authorities will direct a third party to perform disinsection at a cost of about $30 per 20-foot container and $60 per 40-foot container, FAS said.

LG Electronics is "currently looking at other shipping partner options" in the wake of last week’s Hanjin Shipping bankruptcy filing (see 1608310038), Ken Hong, LG’s senior director-global communications, emailed us Sept. 2. "I have no information at the moment as to any negative effects Hanjin's situation may have had on our supply chain," Hong said. LG was second only to Samsung recently among top users of Hanjin’s shipping and consignment services, according to trade data company Datamyne (see 1609020011).

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is proposing changes to its hazardous materials (hazmat) regulations intended to harmonize the regulations with international agreements, it said (here). The proposal would implement recent changes to the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code, the International Civil Aviation Organization’s Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air, and the United Nations Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods -- Model Regulations, PHMSA said. Also included are changes to align U.S. and Canadian regulations agreed to by the U.S.-Canada Regulatory Cooperation Council. The changes affect proper shipping names, hazard classes, packing groups, special provisions, packaging authorizations, air transport quantity limitations and vessel stowage requirements, PHMSA said. Comments are due Nov. 7.

The Federal Maritime Commission asked for further additional public comments on the agency's revisions to a proposed rulemaking on service contracts and non-vessel operating common carrier service arrangements, it said (here). The FMC now proposes to "allow the filing of sequential service contract amendments in the SERVCON system within 30 days of the effective date of the agreement reached between the shipper and carrier," it said. The agency also requested comments on "whether the current 48-hour period in which to file a [Corrected Transmission] after filing the original contract or amendment should be extended to thirty (30) days to afford carriers with a more realistic time frame to correct purely technical data transmission errors." Comments are due Sept. 23.

The Federal Maritime Commission requested public comments on proposed changes to the agency's regulations for handling third-party comments on agreements by or among ocean common carriers and/or terminal operators, the FMC said in a notice (here). Following a review of comments submitted to the FMC after a proposal issued earlier this year (see 1602290029), the agency now seeks further comments on adding regulatory language to detail the agency's handling of the third-party comments, it said. Currently, "when the Commission receives a comment on a filed agreement, it is distributed internally to the Commissioners and relevant staff. If the commenter requests confidential treatment, the Secretary will make a prompt determination as to the Commission's ability to protect any comment or portion of a comment from disclosure and inform the submitter," the agency said. "If a member of the public, press, or agreement counsel request a copy of a comment, the Office of the Secretary will provide any comment or part of a comment unless the Secretary has determined that the comment or part of the comment should be afforded confidential treatment." The FMC also seeks comments on any "modifications that should be considered."

Vessel Operating Common Carriers and Marine Terminal Operators can now file agreements and amendments through the Federal Maritime Commission's new eAgreements system, the agency said Aug. 2 (here). "The Commission’s new eAgreements system offers a more efficient, less costly, process for the filing and publication of agreements," FMC Chairman Mario Cordero said. Among the system's benefits are instant receipts confirming filings and faster publication of filed agreements, FMC said.

Daniel Maffei officially joined the Federal Maritime Commission on July 18, the agency said in a news release (here). Maffei, a former congressman from New York, was approved as an FMC commissioner by the Senate June 29 and appointed by President Barack Obama on July 18 (see 1607050019). The term for Maffei, who is replacing Commissioner Richard Lidinsky, will end June 30, 2017.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is proposing several changes to its hazardous materials regulations to “update, clarify, or provide relief from miscellaneous regulatory requirements,” it said (here). The amendments would, among other things, incorporate changes to standards set by industry associations, address inconsistencies with domestic and international labels and placards, and allow electronic signatures for Environmental Protection Agency manifest forms. Comments are due Aug. 29.

The Port Performance Freight Statistics Working Group will meet from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on July 15 at the Transportation Department to provide advice and recommendations to Bureau of Transportation Statistics Director Patricia Hu on matters including the Port Performance Freight Statistics Program and a process to collect timely and consistent data while protecting proprietary information, DOT said (here). The working group’s objective is to harmonize measures of U.S. large port performance, reporting yearly to Congress on port capacity and throughput. The group was created through the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act.

The Federal Maritime Commission’s new Supply Chain Innovation Team met for the first time on May 3 in Washington, beginning a two-day meeting where “industry leaders from 34 companies” will discuss ways to improve supply chain competitiveness and address port congestion, said the FMC in a press release (here). The FMC announced in early February the creation of the new teams, led by FMC Commissioner Rebecca Dye (see 1602020039). At the meeting, industry representatives “will be working in teams to develop process innovations that will improve the reliability, resilience, and competitiveness of America’s global supply chain,” said the press release.