Kloosterboer International Forwarding LCC (KIF) and Alaska Reefer Management LLC (ARM) filed a motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction in U.S. District Court in Anchorage, Alaska, to stop a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) enforcement action that threatens the ability to supply Alaska seafood to U.S. customers and consumers.
Without warning or explanation, CBP recently issued Notices of Penalty to companies that harvest, process, store and transport Alaska seafood products to the Eastern U.S. via the port of Bayside, New Brunswick, alleging violations of the Jones Act. This was a shock to the industry because the route targeted by CBP has been in place for approximately 20 years and relies on a long-established statutory exception to general Jones Act requirements. The route has also been the subject of multiple CBP rulings and court decisions that confirm its legality.
"We are reeling from crippling penalties, Customs has not been forthcoming to share specifics, and Customs' long-standing guidance tells us we are operating in compliance," said Per Brautaset, President of ARM. "We just didn't have a choice but to try and save our business and our partners' businesses, and all the jobs in Alaska and other communities that will be lost."
Until two weeks ago, the industry had received no hint that CBP was reconsidering its longstanding approval of the route and preparing notices of penalties amounting to over $350 million dollars. Nothing in the Notices of Penalty provides any specificity about the alleged conduct that constitutes a Jones Act violation, or any rationale for CBP's apparent reversal of its longstanding ruling.
"We are grateful for the support of many members of the U.S. seafood supply chain and their legislators who are concerned by this apparent shift in interpretation without warning," said Jennifer Adamski, Director of Logistics & Operations for KIF. "We were forced to halt shipping almost two weeks ago, which has created food supply disruptions and economic hardship to our industry, our customers, and our workers – who risk losing their jobs in Alaska and elsewhere."
For more information:
Kloosterboer Interna
tional Forwarding LLC
2025 First Avenue, Suite 1205
WA98121 Seattle
Tel: +1 206 727 2780
Email: matthew.darbous@kloosterboer.us