Category: Customs

European ports turned into EV car parks

European ports are overflowing with imported electric vehicles (EVs), especially from China, as manufacturers rush to ship cars before new tariffs take effect. This surge in imports has turned car terminals into vast car parks, with dealers hesitating to accept more vehicles due to slowing sales.... Read more

US Customs target non-compliant eCommerce and brokers

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is taking action to minimise the exploitation of the generous small package, or ‘de minimis' environment. Seizing goods and enhancing enforcement efforts to hold brokers accountable, the CBP’s actions are unsettling the eCommerce and freighter markets, a... Read more

US tariff increases on China EV’s have wider ramifications

Only 2% of US electric vehicle (EV) imports come from China and while economists ponder how effective President Biden’s new 100% tariff will be in protecting US markets, it is likely that EV flows will be redirected to Europe by manufacturers eager to exploit profitable markets. On the 14th ... Read more

Importers concerned at cost of Brexit trade checks

Delayed five times by the UK government, post-Brexit physical border checks of animal products, plants and plant products through the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel were finally implemented on the 30th April 2024. However, importers of affected products express concern about additional costs. Th... Read more

UK and EU customs border changes

ICS2 advance filings will be used by EU customs to identify high-risk shipments from the 3rd June, while post-Brexit import charges which come into effect on the 30th April have raised fears of UK food price inflation. The UK Common User Charge (CUC) The CUC will apply to each commodity line ... Read more

The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism

There are 195 signatories to the Paris Agreement to limit their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, though some including the EU and UK have undertaken to cut carbon emissions faster than others. The EU’s Emissions Trading System (ETS) continuously expands to include new sectors to encourage ind... Read more

China dumping fears growing

The United States is voicing increasing concerns that Chinese manufacturing overcapacity will hit world markets, while the EU launched an anti-dumping investigation into China’s EV industry last year. Senior US Treasury officials told the Financial Times this week that a visiting US delega... Read more

New Developing Countries Trading Scheme

The UK government launched a new preferential trading scheme, The Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS) last year, to provide tariff concessions for developing countries exporting to the UK market. The DCTS replaces the Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) and extends tariff cuts to hu... Read more

Metro’s new LCL guru

With over 20 years' experience in freight and logistics, the majority of which has been in the ocean freight environment and specifically the LCL product, in the UK and overseas, we are pleased to introduce our new Senior LCL Commercial Manager, Jane Kenny, who is leading this critical service ar... Read more

Supply chain; a year in review

2023 was supposed to be the year that global supply chains bounced back from pandemic lockdowns and factory shutdowns, trade wars, tariffs and war in Europe, but now container shipping is disrupted by attacks in the Red Sea and restrictions on the Panama Canal. The COVID pandemic and its after... Read more

HMRC export deadline and rogue hauliers

With the deadline fast approaching for export declarations moving to the Customs Declaration Service HMRC are highlighting a worrying trend at the border, with misuse of valid documents leaving innocent exporters potentially non-compliant and exposed to penalties.  In their latest Customs... Read more

Businesses face 24 legislative and policy supply chain changes

The Institute of Export & International Trade has issued a report highlighting the volume of regulatory change facing UK traders over the next 18 months and called for support for businesses through this turbulent period. The report – The Border Target Operating Model and Beyond: Navigat... Read more