All Customs articles
-
Feature
Mercedes-Benz plans production in Egypt
Mercedes-Benz Cars is planning to build a car plant in Egypt with an as-yet-unnamed local business partner. Markus Schäfer, member of the divisional board of Mercedes-Benz Cars, production and supply chain (left) with Egyptian president Abdel Fattah El-Sisi“Egypt is an attractive and competitive location for production and supporting logistics,” ...
-
Feature
Maersk and IBM to introduce blockchain into global shipping industry
Shipping giant Maersk and IBM have announced a blockchain initiative that they say will help transform the cross-border shipping industry globally.The two companies said using the digital ledger system, made famous by the Bitcoin cryptocurrency, had the potential to save the industry billions of dollars when adopted at scale. Ninety ...
-
Feature
WTO's trade facilitation agreement comes into force
A World Trade Organization (WTO) agreement supporting simpler and clearer procedures when it comes to imports and exports of goods came into force this week after the requisite amount of member countries agreed to implement it.Spread out over 12 articles, the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) prescribes many measures to improve ...
-
Feature
Mexico conference: government urges ‘tranquillity’ in Nafta debate
The Mexican government has confirmed that it will seek to maintain the current advantages of the North America Free Trade Agreement (Nafta), including tariff-free trade of automotive parts and vehicles, in upcoming negotiations with the governments of the US and Canada. It will also seek to further reduce regulatory barriers ...
-
Feature
New Russian import rules lead to cars being stopped at customs
Several car shipments have been blocked on their way into Russia by its Federal Customs Service because they are not equipped with the Era-Glonass accident emergency response system.According to Yuri Ladygin, head of the Customs Service’s Far East Department, amendments to Russia’s customs regulations require all cars imported into the ...
-
Feature
German investigation into Ford over bribery allegations continues
The German authorities have confirmed they are continuing to investigate the role played by Ford in the alleged bribery of Russian officials at the port of St Petersburg between 2010 and 2012 – despite the carmaker’s lawyers issuing a statement recently rejecting all knowledge of the matter.A spokesman for the ...
-
Feature
VW admits diesel emissions scandal spelt an end to C-TPAT status
Volkswagen Group of America has revealed that it was removed from the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) and Importer Self-Assessment (ISA) programmes, following the diesel emissions scandal in 2015.Companies on the C-TPAT list are considered low risk, resulting in expedited processing of their cargo, including fewer customs examinations. The programme ...
-
Feature
DB Schenker pays out over allegations of bribery in Russia; Ford still under investigation
The German authorities have reached a settlement with logistics provider DB Schenker over allegations that Russian customs officials in the port of St Petersburg were bribed between 2010 and mid-2012 to speed up the passage of automotive parts to Ford’s plant in the area. However, the authorities have confirmed that ...
-
Feature
India makes big gains in competitiveness indices
The mood music coming out of prime minister Narendra Modi’s government with its ‘Make in India’ campaign seems to be borne out with real improvements on the ground.The latest World Economic Forum's rankings of country competitiveness see India as one of the big climbers, with a jump of 16 places ...
-
Feature
Russia conference: Turkish exports still struggling to find their way into Russia
Sanctions on Turkish imports imposed by Russia last year have eased, but difficulties still remain for those seeking to move goods across the border, delegates at last week's Automotive Logistics Russia conference were told.Despite some longstanding trade agreements, tensions replaced ties late last year as two Turkish F-16 fighters shot ...