New Regulations: for Overhead height loads in Houston District

From our Friends at Jetco:  

 Breaking News! New Bucket Truck Regulations for High Loads in Houston District.

By Jetco February 23, 2016

As of February 5, 2016, all loads 17 feet tall and above must be accompanied by an approved bucket truck to move within the Houston district (this includes: Brazoria, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Montgomery and Waller counties).

These new regulations require the mover to email a copy of their permit and business contact information to the Houston District signal shop during 8am-4pm Monday through Thursday, 48 hours prior to moving in Houston District for approval.

To find out what this means for you, click here: https://www.jetcodelivery.com/breaking-news-new-bucket-truck-regulations-for-high-loads-in-houston-district-2/

Heavy Lift - All in a Days Work

Heavy Lift -- Standard Operation

How to meet the container weight mandate

From our Friends at the JOC

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SOLAS Amendments Could Delay Container Weight Rule

From our Friends at A. N. Derringer

SOLAS Amendments Could Delay Container Weight Rule

The United States and any other country that is party to the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) container weight mandate may delay implementation of the weight rule past the July 1, 2016 deadline.

According to Article VIII(b)(vii)(2) to the amendment to the Safety of Life at Sea convention, each of the 162 signatory nations may delay the implementation of SOLAS by up to one year. Any nation choosing to do so would be required to inform the IMO of the delay before the rule takes effect on July 1
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US exporters have been outspoken in their requests for revision of the new rule. Earlier this month, they called on the Coast Guard to delay the rule until it can be amended and determined that US exporters will not face a competitive disadvantage against foreign exporters.

The rule, which requires the shipper named on the bill of lading, or a designated representative, weigh the cargo by either measuring the contents of the container and adding it to the unladen weight of the container, or by weighing the sealed container and its contents as one, and then submitting the Verified Gross Mass (VGM) to the carrier and marine terminal in advance of vessel stowage to allow for stowage plans to be created.

The Coast Guard has responded to initial calls for delaying implementation of the rule; citing the difficulty of delay given the global rollout of the rule, the Coast Guard states that “foreign flag-ships, which carry the vast majority of containers from the US, would be bound by their flag states’ requirements not to load the containers in US ports as the VGM had not been verified.” In addition, if the US was to issue a unilateral delay, US-flag fleet and US container ships could still be at risk because the new regulations would still apply at foreign ports.

Lunch and Learn -- Issues in International Shipping

The HMAA Board of Directors, in partnership with the Houston Bar Association, is pleased to present the next Lunch & Learn:


Title:  Project Cargo: Issues in International Shipping

Format:  Panel Discussion, including HMAA Members: Thomas Damsgaard, John Hark, and Utsav Mathur

Topic:  The discussion will focus on the major liability pitfalls associated with the shipment of project cargoes, which have become increasingly more significant in today's economic environment.  The panel will explain some of the key risks, and some of the prevailing contractual, statutory, and commercial mitigation strategies employed by major players involved in a project cargo move:  the vessel owner, the logistics company, and the EPC contractor/project owner. 

Event Details:

Date:  March 9, 2016
Time: 11:30am - 1:00pm

Address:

The Houston Club
910 Louisiana
Houston, Texas  77002

Price:  $35

ACE full rollout delayed

US Customs delays full rollout of ACE with ‘staggered approach’

Reynolds Hutchins, Associate Editor | Feb 08, 2016 6:54PM EST

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U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced Monday it will be taking “a staggered approach” to the rollout of its “single window” initiative, after many said they simply weren’t ready for the new system.

Full implementation for the single window initiative, otherwise known as the automated commercial environment, or ACE, was originally scheduled for Feb. 28. That schedule has now been staggered, with deadlines for filing electronic entries for some partner government agencies extended to March 31, others to May 28 and others to still-undecided dates later this summer. Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration, one of the largest PGAs involved and one that by many accounts has struggled the most with the ongoing transition, has been removed from the calendar altogether.

ACE will allow importers and exporters to share trade documents with government agencies, saving shippers and brokers time and money. But, it’s now the second time in less than 12 months that Customs has tweaked the deadline for its ACE initiative, three years behind schedule and more than $1 billion over budget. Monday’s announcement comes after dozens of brokers, forwarders, importers and exporters lobbied the agency to modify its deadline for the ACE rollout, arguing they were running out of time and more internal agency checks were needed.

“Instead of flipping the switch, they’re dimming the lights,”  Liz Connell, vice president of product management at global trade management software company Integration Point, told JOC.com Monday. “It will be more of a transition with a gradual transition over to ACE.”  Rest of Story

Merry Christmas from all of us Dixie Cullen Interests Inc.

Warmest Wishes for a wonderful holiday.

All of us at Dixie Cullen Interests, would like to take a moment to say Thank Youfor another great year!   Our valued customers have made it possible for us to once again make 2015 a record year. With that said, from everyone here at Dixie Cullen,  we want to wish all of our customers, friends, associates and their families a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  Holiday Hours:  For both  8501 East Freeway and 9200 Market Street Facilities Christmas: Our offices and warehouse will be closing at 3:30 pm on December 23rd, last truck being taken at 3:00 pm.  We will reopen at 6 am  on Monday December 28th for business as usual. New Years:  Our offices and warehouse will be closing at 2 pm on December 31st, last truck being taken at 1:30 pm.  We will reopen at 6 am on Monday January 4th.