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Enforcement of eManifest regulation coming soon
Effective May 6, 2015, highway and rail carriers have only 45 days to comply with the data collection and transmission requirements for the eManifest program created by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).The regulatory amendments were published in the Canada Gazette, Part II making them legally binding.
The following implementation timelines apply to eManifest requirements for highway and railcarriers:
- From May 6, 2015, to July 10, 2015, the CBSA will provide carriers with a period of transition during which penalties for non-compliance will not be issued. The Agency will work closely with carriers on corrective measures to help them comply with eManifest requirements.
- From July 10, 2015, to January 10, 2016, carriers who do not comply with eManifest requirements may be issued zero-rated penalties (non-monetary) under the CBSA’s Administrative Monetary Penalty System (AMPS).
- Beginning January 10, 2016, carriers who do not comply with eManifest requirements may be issued monetary AMPS penalties.
When fully implemented, eManifest will require all carriers, freight forwarders and importers to send advance commercial information about their shipments electronically to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).
For more information, contact Brian Rowe, General Manager – Customs Consulting Services.
Solutions for challenges presented by
Canada’s congested West Coast ports
For almost six months, Canada’s West Coast ports have experienced heavy congestion, resulting from bad weather, U.S. freight diverted to Canada (to avoid labour problems) and equipment failures. But the impact on our freight clients has been minimized by five key steps:
- Allowing clients to adjust schedules by giving them advance notice (via Email Alerts!) of port conditions – just one example of the Market Intelligence offered exclusively to clients of Universal Logistics
- Ensuring vessel availability by pre-booking space
- Diverting shipments when that was a viable alternative for the client; some West Coast shipments were sent to U.S. & Canadian East Coast ports, and some U.S. freight was diverted to Canadian West Coast ports
- Employing airfreight for urgent shipments
- Using the Expedited Rail Service (ERS) system available in Vancouver terminals Deltaport and Vanterm to speed up the transfer of containers to railcars
This month there have been two positive developments:
- the labour problems at U.S. West Coast ports have been resolved with the signing of a new five-year contract
- containers are beginning to move normally through Canadian West Coast ports
Looking ahead, more congestion at Canada’s West Coast ports is possible for four reasons:
- Volumes are expected to increase as the Canadian economy heats up
- The annual “Peak Season Surcharge” scheduled for July 2015 underscores vessel capacity is tightening
- The major ocean freight carriers have no plans to allocate more vessels to Canada
- Many carriers are planning to purchase the largest vessels available (18,000 TEU), a vessel size that would overwhelm our West Coast ports
More Market Intelligence on Canada’s West Coast ports is available on request. Just call (905) 882-4880, ext. 308 and ask to speak with Debbie McGuire, Manager – Freight Solutions.
Giving back by teaching Grade 12 students
about the world of international trade
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John Leis,
Manager – Client Relations |
On April 23, 2015, Universal’s Education Coordinator, John Leis, Manager – Client Relations, was invited to spend the day with the Grade 12, graduating students, enrolled in the International Business program at De La Salle College Oaklands.
As part of Universal’s community outreach initiative, the morning and afternoon sessions offered the students a glimpse into the world of logistics and international trade from the perspective of the logistics service provider.
“The opportunity for me to get back in the classroom and work with these students, while showcasing our company and promoting our industry, is hugely rewarding” said Mr. Leis.
For more information, contact John Leis, Manager – Client Relations.
Risk of container overloading grows
All containers will need to be weighed prior to loading under new legislation that will be introduced
next year. Overloading is a common problem, with one study finding that the declared weight of one in ten containers was incorrect.
Stricter enforcement of container weight is already underway in the UK, but other countries are ignoring the problem despite the potentially disastrous consequences of overloading, which include container stack collapses and the jettison of containers into the ocean.
For more information, contact David Lychek, Manager – Ocean & Air Services.
Conditional Relief Tariffs explained
New information has been released by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to educate importers on the proper application and reporting of Conditional ReliefTariffs.
The key message is that importers can reduce or eliminate a duty if the end use of the product includes specific wording. Examples of the applicable wording include “for use in”, “for use by” and “to be employed”.
For more information, contact Brian Rowe, General Manager – Customs Consulting Services.
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This country has the longest
coastline in Europe. |
What country transports 95 percent of its foreign trade by ocean freight?
This country’s most famous export is a music band. See if you can name it after looking at the
following clues.
- Vessels can dock at nearly 50 public seaports, ranging from small specialized ports and ferry ports to large, full service ports
- The national air carrier is a Star Alliance member, with connecting flights to major airports around the world
- The transportation infrastructure (roads, rail, harbours, airports) is among the best inEurope
- The capital of this country is located on 14 islands
- One life is saved every six minutes by the three-point seatbelt invented by this country’s premier auto maker, a design breakthrough given away to other auto makers in the interest of promoting safety
- Every week a citizen is selected randomly to manage the country’s official Twitter account
 Click here to see the answer
For more information about freight to/from this country, contact Debbie McGuire, Manager –
Freight Solutions.
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Freight insurance is for those bad days that can happen at any time. |
The perils of being under insured
Make sure you read the fine print before purchasing insurance abroad for freight shipments. A
common mistake is to assume that minimum insurance gives you some degree of protection against all perils when, in fact, it actually excludes many perils.
Protect your business interests by insuring you
buy a policy that gives you protection against allperils.
At Your Service – Marina Mescerjakova, Ocean Exports
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Marina Mescerjakova,
Ocean Exports
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An employee of Universal Logistics for eight years, Marina Mescerjakova coordinates ocean export shipments, a function that requires a solid understanding of both Canadian and U.S. export regulations.
“My job is to ensure that every export shipment is handled efficiently and professionally,” said Marina.
Marina can be reached by phone at (905) 882-4880, ext. 240 or by email.
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