Posted:
September 22, 2009
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has withdrawn a proposal that would have modified the agency’s position on the use of foreign vessels to service the offshore energy trade in the Gulf of Mexico. The proposal, released July 17, had garnered 141 comments, according to CBP. Several “substantive” comments, both for and against the proposed action, in addition to findings based on CBP’s research, prompted CBP to reconsider its position and withdraw the notice. A new notice setting forth the CBP’s revised interpretation will be published in the Customs Bulletin "in the near future," according to CBP.
The withdrawn notice would have revoked long-standing CBP rulings allowing foreign vessels to service the offshore energy trade in the Gulf of Mexico. The notice also changed the CBP’s definition of “vessel equipment” to articles necessary for navigation and ship operation, as opposed to articles necessary to carry out a specific task. The changes would have primarily affected drilling and well stimulation, as well as cable-laying and pipe-laying maintenance and construction.
Customs and Border Protection withdraws proposed ruling on Jones Act enforcement
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has withdrawn a proposal that would have modified the agency’s position on the use of foreign vessels to service the offshore energy trade in the Gulf of Mexico. The proposal, released July 17, had garnered 141 comments, according to CBP. Several “substantive” comments, both for and against the proposed action, in addition to findings based on CBP’s research, prompted CBP to reconsider its position and withdraw the notice. A new notice setting forth the CBP’s revised interpretation will be published in the Customs Bulletin "in the near future," according to CBP.
The withdrawn notice would have revoked long-standing CBP rulings allowing foreign vessels to service the offshore energy trade in the Gulf of Mexico. The notice also changed the CBP’s definition of “vessel equipment” to articles necessary for navigation and ship operation, as opposed to articles necessary to carry out a specific task. The changes would have primarily affected drilling and well stimulation, as well as cable-laying and pipe-laying maintenance and construction.