The Nigerian Shippers Council ordered terminal operators to refund unauthorized transfer and storage charges on shippers and freight forwarders or “face serious sanctions,” the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported Oct. 13. Shippers and freight forwarders complained to the NSC, the country’s port regulator, that they have been “arbitrarily charged levies” on container demurrage, storage and transfer by shipping firms and terminal operators for the “transport of goods to off‑dock terminals without their knowledge,” the report said. The NSC ordered port operators and other shipping agencies to “immediately” refund the charges collected since June 1 or face a “total shutdown.” Some terminals have not complied with the order, including Nigeria’s Denca Bonded Terminal, which allegedly owes more than $100,000 (in U.S. dollars) in refunds. The NSC plans to place staff at bonded terminals “to gather weekly reports on charges.” NSC issued guidance, according to the HKTDC report, indicating that “storage and demurrage fees on goods that need to be moved from seaport terminals to off‑dock terminals without the consignees’ consent should only be imposed after the goods’ arrival at the designated off‑dock terminals.”
The European Union formally announced a joint proposal for an EU-wide human rights sanctions regime, which would give member states “greater flexibility” to target human rights abuses, the European Commission said Oct. 19. The regime is expected to include asset freezes and travel bans, and give the commission oversight of the implementation of certain bans. Although the regime would include new sanctions, it would “not replace existing geographic sanctions regimes,” the commission said, some of which already target human rights violations in countries like Syria, Venezuela and Belarus.
China said the U.S. has been harassing and falsely arresting Chinese students at airports amid more U.S. export control oversight relating to university research. Nearly 300 students “experienced U.S. harassment and interrogation” from May to September, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Oct. 21. “Their cell phones, laptops and other personal belongings were arbitrarily examined and even seized,” the spokesperson said. “We lodged solemn representations with the U.S. side many times, urging it to correct mistakes and stop discriminatory behaviors against Chinese students.”
Like-minded democracies should establish a global technology alliance to safeguard sensitive technologies and improve export restrictions, technology and trade experts said. The alliance -- which would initially include Australia, Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the U.S. -- should act to increase export controls on critical technologies and work to counter China’s illegal technology transfers and operations at international standards-setting bodies.
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said that the trade facilitation agreement that the U.S. and Brazil signed Oct. 19 is very similar to the USMCA trade facilitation chapter, and that traders should expect more incremental progress in coming months. “There’s a lot more that needs to be done,” Lighthizer said during a U.S. Chamber of Commerce program Oct. 20. “We have ongoing negotiations on ethanol. Brazilians like to talk about sugar. There’s a variety of things in the agriculture area.”
The European Union renewed its sanctions regime against ISIL/Da'esh and al-Qaida for another year, until Oct. 31, 2021, the EU said Oct. 19. The sanctions include travel bans and asset freezes. The extension was made due to the “ongoing terrorist threat.”
Canada sanctioned 31 Belarusian officials for their involvement in the country’s illegitimate presidential elections, Canada said in an October notice. Canada sanctioned 11 Belarusian officials last month (see 2009300011) but added more to bring its sanctions regime in line with the European Union, which targeted 40 Belarusian officials (see 2010050010).
New Zealand recently revised its catch-all export controls and issued guidance on the changes. The revisions, which took effect Oct. 9, include changes to restrictions on goods and technologies that are not controlled under New Zealand's export control regime but may have military or police uses, such as biological and chemical weapons or goods that may have “military applications.”
Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with the top stories for Oct. 13-16 in case you missed them. You can find any article by searching on the title or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
Berkshire Hathaway will pay $4.1 million after its subsidiary illegally exported more than 140 shipments of cutting tools to Iran, the Office of Foreign Assets Control said in an Oct. 20 notice. Iscar Kesici Takim Ticareti ve Imalati Limited Sirket (Iscar Turkey), Berkshire’s Turkish subsidiary, hid the exports from its parent company, which resulted in more than $350,000 worth of orders going to Iranian end-users. Along with the fine, Berkshire committed to a range of sanctions compliance procedures in a settlement agreement with OFAC and will annually certify for the next five years that it is meeting its compliance obligations.