USTR delays September 1 tariff increase on Chinese imports of cell phones, TVs
As announced on August 13, a 10% tariff hike on popular consumer electronics, toys, and apparel from China has been postponed to December 15 from the previously announced September 1, 2019, implementation. As part of the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announcement, certain goods have been removed from the tariff schedule altogether for health, security, and other factors while stating that there will still be a September 1 general tariff implemented on select Chinese goods (301-4A).
The delay to December 15 for tariffs on shoes, clothing, cellular phones, laptops, and TVs (301-4B) is welcomed news for consumers and retailers planning for the holiday season.
USTR Announces Next Steps on Proposed 10 Percent Tariff on Imports from China
American Shipper: USTR delaying tariffs on phones, laptops from China
STR Trade: Tariff Actions Resource Page – Section 301: List 4A & 4B
Congratulations to David Juan, WTDC Operations, on being named WTDC Employee of the Year for fiscal year 2018-2019. Many of our Duty Free and Travel Retail Spirits customers have worked with David on their physical inventory counts. He is a super team player and has grown into a leadership role as a result of his positive personality and years of experience. Thank you David!
National Rum Day
August 16 is National Rum Day in the United States! Rum has 9.4% of the U.S. Spirits market with 21.6 million 9-liter cases consumed in 2018 (via IWSR). According to a survey, 92% of legal age consumers associated rum with mojitos or rum and cola drinks, but rum aficionados like to sip their rum neat, even moreso than whiskey according to the same survey. Click below to read more. Cheers!
National Rum Day: The fascinating history of how the spirit came to be
Biggest of the Big Ships
MSC Gulsun, the world’s largest container ship, is setting records as it traverses new waterways and calls to port. MSC Gulsun has a capacity of 23,756 TEUs (20 ft. container equivalents) and is 400m long, 61.5m wide, and 33.2m high.
On July 28, MSC Gulsun departed Malaysia’s Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP) with a whopping 19,574 TEUs onboard. With its 58 (wow!) Super Post Panamax cranes, PTP is well suited to service the world’s largest ships.
YouTube: MSC Gulsun World’s Largest Container Ship Calls at Port of Tanjung Pelepas (27 July 2019)
gCaptain: MSC Gulsun Departs Port of Tanjung Pelepas with Record-Breaking 19,574 TEUs
New terminals for PortMiami
The Cruise Capitol of the World, PortMiami, continues to its dramatic makeover with new cruise terminals approved or already in development for MSC, Disney, Norwegian, and Virgin. The new terminals will add better functionality and significantly more flair to PortMiami. Royal Caribbean’s new terminal (pictured above) opened last year and is already a signature architectural landmark. The same can be said of the design and construction work in progress of the Norwegian Cruise Lines terminal (rendering below).
MiamiToday: As PortMiami rides high, more development deals on horizon
MIA adds 7 new airlines
Miami International Airport (MIA) has added seven new airlines over the past year including GOL, a Brazilian airline. MIA already has 65 passenger airlines in service helping it cater to almost 30 million passengers between October 2018 and May 2019, a 2.51% year over year growth.
