Public Forum – U.S. Port Congestion: Examining Causes, Impact on Stakeholders, and Exploring Possible Solutions
Federal Maritime Commission / http://www.fmc.gov/public_forum_u.s._port_congestion/
Federal Maritime Commission Chairman Mario Cordero will hold a forum titled, "U.S. Port Congestion: Examining Causes, Impact on Stakeholders, and Exploring Possible Solutions." The forum’s goal is to promote dialogue on the causes and implications of congestion at U.S. ports. Industry stakeholders, regulators, and the general public are encouraged to take part.
When: Monday, September 15, 2014, 9:30 am to 4:00 pm
Where: Port of Los Angeles Administration Building, 425 S. Palos Verdes Street, San Pedro, CA 90731
Moderated by: Chairman Mario Cordero
Suggested Topics for Discussion: The Commission encourages interested parties to attend and join in the discussion on port congestion and its impact on the different industry sectors. In addition to the suggested topics listed below, participants may raise other topics related to port congestion.
- Factors causing port congestion
- Truck turn times
- Impact on stakeholders
- Use of technology to reduce congestion and related fees
- PierPass
Who Should Attend: All members of the shipping industry including:
- Truckers – Licensed Motor Carriers
- Terminal Operators
- Steamship Lines
- Ocean Transportation Intermediaries
- Equipment Lessors
- Cargo Owners
- Longshoremen
- Port Authorities
Registration is encouraged but not required. Participants may register by contacting the Commission’s Office of the Secretary: Email: Secretary@fmc.gov; Phone: (202) 523-5725
CBP Seizes Faulty Hair Dryers
U.S. Customs & Border Protection/ http://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/local-media-release/2014-08-15-000000/cbp-seizes-faulty-hair-dryers
HOUSTON – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers have seized nearly 5,000 hair dryers as the required Ground-Fault Circuit Interrupters that protect consumers from electrical shock or electrocution hazards were missing.
The hair dryers, which originated from China, have a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price of almost $330,000.
“This seizure is the latest example of the vigilance and attention to detail our officers pay to protect consumers from imported goods that pose a dangerous risk,” said CBP Houston Area Port Director Dave Fluty.
During an examination of the shipment, officers found the dryers missing the immersion protection plug and bearing a suspect trademark logo. Officers coordinated with Consumer Product Safety Commission and with the CBP Intellectual Property Rights Rights Branch, Regulations and Rulings, Office of International Trade to verify authenticity.
The CBP IPR Branch confirmed the products were counterfeit, and a CPSC evaluation of product samples concluded the required immersion protection plug was missing resulting in the seizure of the entire shipment that contained more than 400 boxes of the faulty articles.
According to CPSC, consumers should look for a large, rectangular-shaped plug at the end of the hair dryer cord indicating the presence of a GFCI. The certification mark of a recognized testing laboratory should also be visible on the hair dryer or on the hair dryer's packaging.
Turkish Man Pleads Guilty to Importing Illegal Cancer Drugs
U.S. Food & Drug Adminstration / http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm410260.htm
Sabahaddin Akman, owner of the Istanbul, Turkey, firm Ozay Pharmaceuticals, has pleaded guilty to charges of smuggling misbranded and adulterated cancer treatment drugs into the United States.
Akman pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, in St. Louis, Missouri, where he initially shipped his illegal drugs. The drugs did not meet the FDA’s standards and had not been approved for distribution in the United States.
The FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations coordinated a complex, multi-layered international investigation that led to Akman’s arrest in Puerto Rico in January 2014. The investigation identified Akman and his company as a source of Altuzan, the Turkish version of the cancer treatment drug Avastin.
“These criminals exploited our most vulnerable patients when they arranged for their illicit drugs to be brought into the United States and used to treat cancer patients. We will continue to investigate and bring to justice those who prey on our ill, susceptible patients,” said Philip J. Walsky, acting director of the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations. “We commend our colleagues – international, national, state, and local – whose contributions helped bring this case to a successful conclusion.”
Akman, along with his employee, Ozkan Semizoglu, obtained the illicit drugs and then used shipping labels to conceal the illegal nature of the shipments, including customs declarations falsely describing the contents as gifts. They also broke large drug shipments into several smaller packages to reduce the likelihood of seizures by U.S. Customs and Border Protection authorities.
Along with the FDA and Europol, the international operation involved several German government offices: the Bonn prosecutor; the Federal Criminal Police, the Dusseldorf police, and the German State Criminal Police. Special agents of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service assigned to the U.S. Embassy’s Regional Security Office in Ankara, Turkey, and the U.S. Consulate General’s Overseas Criminal Investigations Branch in Istanbul, Turkey also played key roles in the successful resolution of this case.
The FDA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, protects the public health by assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products for human use, and medical devices. The agency also is responsible for the safety and security of our nation's food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements, products that give off electronic radiation, and for regulating tobacco products.
USITC: News Releases and New Documents
US International Trade Commission / http://www.usitc.gov/?source=govdelivery&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery
WASHINGTON – U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations (OFO) agriculture specialists (CBPAS) intercepted nine Khapra beetle larvae and two skin casts from a bag of dried chick peas in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) at the John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) Plant Inspection Station (PIS) positively identified the specimens as Trogoderma granarium, commonly known as Khapra beetle.
The Khapra Beetle is considered one of the world’s most destructive insect pests of grains, cereals and stored foods and remains the only insect in which CBP takes regulatory action against even while in a dead state.
"CBP Preclearance locations have the unique capability to search for and intercept these invasive insects prior to departure for the United States”, said Douglas Truesdale, CBP port director for Abu Dhabi Preclearance. “The continued interceptions of Khapra beetle by CBP in Abu Dhabi are a small testament to the hard work our employees perform on a daily basis to protect the U.S. agriculture industry. “
The agriculture specialists discovered the insects in a 4.4 pound bag of chick peas inside a passenger’s checked luggage originating from Karachi, Pakistan. CBP seized the chick peas and forwarded the specimens to USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) – JFK PIS for identification. The chick peas were seized and destroyed.
The Khapra beetle is labeled a ‘dirty feeder’ because it damages more grain than it consumes, and because it contaminates grain with body parts and hairs. These contaminants may cause gastrointestinal irritation in adults and especially sickens infants. Khapra beetle can also tolerate insecticides and fumigants, and can survive for long periods of time without food.
According to APHIS, previous infestations of Khapra beetle have resulted in long term-control and eradication efforts at great cost to the American taxpayer.
California implemented extensive eradication measures following a Khapra beetle infestation discovered there in 1953. The effort was deemed successful, but at a cost of approximately $11 million—$90 million in today’s dollars.
CBP agriculture specialists receive extensive training and experience in the biological sciences and agricultural inspection. On a typical day, they inspect almost 1 million people as well as air and sea cargo imported to the United States and intercept 4,379 prohibited meat, plant materials or animal products, including 440 insect pests.
To learn more about CBP’s agriculture protection mission, visit Protecting Agriculture on the CBP website.
Dulles CBP Finds Destructive Pest in Passenger Baggage
U.S. Customs & Border Protection / http://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/local-media-release/2014-08-13-000000/dulles-cbp-finds-destructive-pest-passenger-baggage
STERLING, Va. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field Operations (OFO) agriculture specialists at Washington Dulles International Airport discovered live Khapra Beetle in a package of rice being carried by a traveler from Saudi Arabia on July 30. The specimens were forwarded to a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) entomologist who confirmed them as Trogoderma granarium, commonly known as Khapra Beetle, on August 1.
The Khapra Beetle is considered one of the world’s most destructive insect pests of grains, cereals and stored foods and remains the only insect in which CBP takes regulatory action against even while in a dead state.
“Khapra Beetle is one of the most invasive insects CBP agriculture specialists encounter,” said Wayne Biondi CBP Port Director for the Port of Washington. “And we take our mission to intercept these destructive pests and protecting America’s agricultural industry very seriously.”
The insects were discovered in a 2 pound package of rice being carried by a passenger originating from Saudi Arabia. CBP seized the rice and forwarded specimens of the Khapra Beetle larvae to a USDA- Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) - Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) entomologist for identification. The rice was then destroyed by incineration.
The Khapra Beetle is labeled a ‘dirty feeder’ because it damages more grain than it consumes, and because it contaminates grain with body parts and hairs. These contaminants may cause gastrointestinal irritation in adults and especially sickens infants. Khapra Beetles can also tolerate insecticides and fumigants, and can survive for long periods of time without food.
According to the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), previous infestations of Khapra Beetle have resulted in massive, long term-control and eradication efforts at great cost to the American taxpayer.
California implemented extensive eradication measures following a Khapra Beetle infestation discovered there in 1953. The effort was deemed successful, but at a cost of approximately $11 million. Calculated in today’s dollars, that would be about $90 million.
CBP agriculture specialists have extensive training and experience in the biological sciences and agricultural inspection. On a typical day nationally, they inspect almost 1 million people as well as air and sea cargo imported to the United States and intercept 4,379 prohibited meat, plant materials or animal products, including 440 insect pests.
Staff Report on Mobile Shopping Apps Found Disclosures to Consumers Are Lacking
Federal Trade Commission / http://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2014/08/staff-report-mobile-shopping-apps-found-disclosures-consumers-are
A new staff report issued by the Federal Trade Commission finds that many mobile apps for use in shopping do not provide consumers with important information – such as how the apps manage payment-related disputes or handle consumer data – prior to download.
The report, “What’s the Deal? An FTC Study on Mobile Shopping Apps,” looked at some of the most popular apps used by consumers to comparison shop, collect and redeem deals and discounts, and pay in-store with their mobile devices. The report builds on the findings of the Commission’s 2012 workshop on mobile payments and the report from that workshop, which raised concerns about consumers’ potential financial liability – as well as the privacy and security of their data – when using mobile payment services.
In this new report, FTC staff surveyed a total of 121 different shopping apps across the Google Play and Apple App Stores. The survey included 47 price comparison apps, which let consumers compare prices on a particular item in real-time; 50 “deal” apps, which provide consumers with coupons or discounts; and 45 in-store purchase apps, which enable consumers to use their phones to pay for goods they purchase in physical stores. Several apps were found in more than one category.
“As mobile apps become more central to the shopping experience, it’s important that consumers have meaningful information about how those apps work before they download them,” said Jessica Rich, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “Consumers should not be left in the dark about their potential liability for erroneous or unauthorized charges or about the way shopping apps handle their data.”
The report makes a number of recommendations to companies that provide mobile shopping apps to consumers:
1. Apps should make clear consumers’ rights and liability limits for unauthorized, fraudulent, or erroneous transactions.
The staff report found that, prior to download, the apps reviewed frequently failed to give consumers information about the dispute procedures and consumers’ potential liability in the event something goes wrong with a payment made through the app.
The report recommends that the developers of in-store purchase apps provide clear dispute resolution and liability limits information to consumers, particularly when using a stored value method to process payments, as transactions made using this method may lack the legal protections afforded by credit or debit card transactions.
2. Apps should more clearly describe how they collect, use, and share consumer data.
Privacy considerations are important in mobile commerce apps, the report notes, as the data collected is potentially sensitive. The report finds that a majority of the shopping apps across all three categories had privacy policies disclosing that the apps collected a wide array of information, ranging from consumers’ names and addresses to detailed information on consumers’ purchases, their Social Security numbers, and data provided about the consumers by third parties.
The report finds that the reviewed apps’ privacy disclosures often used vague language, reserving broad rights to collect, use, and share consumers’ information. While almost all of the apps stated that they share personal data, 29 percent of price comparison apps, 17 percent of deal apps, and 33 percent of in-store purchase apps reserved the right to share users’ personal data without restriction, thus making it difficult for consumers to make informed decisions about whether to use the apps based on privacy considerations.
The report recommends that shopping apps clearly describe how they collect, use, and share consumer data. Making that information available will allow consumers to evaluate and compare apps based on how the apps handle their information.
3. Companies should ensure that their data security promises translate into sound data security practices.
The report also recommends that companies, whose apps promise consumer safeguards for their data, follow through on those promises. Specifically, the report recognizes that technology advances found in smartphones can offer the potential for increased data security and encourages all companies to provide strong protections for the data they collect.
Beyond recommendations for companies, the report also urges consumers to closely examine the apps’ stated policies on issues like dispute resolution and liability limits, as well as privacy and data security and evaluate them in choosing which apps to use. The report also notes that when apps do not provide that information, consumers should consider using alternative apps, or in the case of missing dispute resolution policies, limit the dollar amount used to fund stored value accounts.
The report is part of the Commission’s work to ensure that consumers are fully protected in the growing mobile space, which has included workshops and other initiatives to study cutting edge issues in this area, along with a number of law enforcement cases.
The Commission vote to issue the staff report was 5-0.]