Supreme Court Ruling on IEEPA: Big news today and what we have all been waiting for - the Supreme Court issued a decision just hours ago holding that IEEPA does not authorize the President to impose tariffs. The majority decision was written by Chief Justice John Roberts, with three justices dissenting (Alito, Kavanaugh and Thomas). The Court concluded that the Constitution gives Congress the power to regulate commerce and set tariffs thus invalidating the IEEPA tariff program. This is a great victory, but we do not yet have any indication of how or if refunds will be available. As soon as more is known on next steps, we will provide an update. We also know that the President has other avenues that he could utilize to recreate tariffs using alternative authorities, and we fully expect further announcements from the White House on this topic.
EU-USA Trade Agreement: The EU has called for stability in the EU-USA trade relationship and is in close contact with the US Administration to gain further insight into the impact of the Supreme Court ruling. News reports indicate that many in the EU expect the US President to find other means to reinstate tariffs. In the meantime, the EU Parliament has made progress on the deal with some revisions to the original text, including a March 2028 sunset clause, and a clause that would suspend the agreement should the US threaten any territorial integrity of an EU nation. We will continue to monitor the progress of this agreement.
Partial Government Shutdown in USA Continues: The partial shutdown began on February 14 and is now entering its second week. The shutdown primarily impacts the Department of Homeland Security, which includes US Customs/CBP, the TSA, Coast Guard, Secret Service and immigration agencies. Ninety percent of the DHS employees are considered essential, thus disruption of operations of the affected agencies is minimal. Negotiations to end the shut down are stalled, primarily due to lack of agreement on federal immigration operations. Pay for the employees of the agencies varies, with some departments working without pay and others continuing to receive paychecks, while others are furloughed.
First Sale Threat: Two senators (Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) introduced a bill to end the “first sale” rule. Many importers take advantage of this long-standing law that allows duty to be paid on the first-sale cost in a multi-tiered transaction, thus reducing the impact of duty paid on value of goods. At this point, there is little momentum behind this effort, but we will keep you updated on any developments.
TTB Announcement on Food Dye: As previously reported, the TTB has sent out reminders that FD&C Red No. 3 will be banned from food and alcoholic beverages after January 15, 2027. Should you need any further details on this change, please let us know.
Transatlantic Ocean Carrier Changes & Schedules: Both MSC and the Ocean Alliance (consisting of OOCL, COSCO, CMA, and Evergreen lines, plus ONE/Ocean Network Express) have both published new sailing schedules with significant changes in transatlantic routes. The Ocean Alliance has merged their two vessel strings from North Europe into one service, reducing capacity in a lane that was suffering with excess cargo capacity versus demand. For the Med, the Ocean Alliance added direct service from the port of Fos, France to the US East Coast, a nice addition for the wine trade. MSC adjusted multiple services, dropping their Albatros service and adjusting the relatively new Dragon service. The UK was dropped as a base port for the US East Coast, as was Sines Portugal for the US West Coast, and these previously direct ports will be served via feeder vessels. Attached please find the latest MSC Transatlantic schedule and the latest from ONE. Should you want information on any specific port pairs, please reach out to us.
Join us at DISCUS 2026! Join members of the WSSA and Albatrans teams at the DISCUS Annual Conference in Louisville, KY, March 3-5! This event will bring together America’s spirits industry leaders, decision makers and supply chain partners to forge the future of this sector and learn strategies to help businesses thrive in the modern distilled spirits marketplace. Anytime during the conference, come by and check out WSSA’s exhibit at Booth 303 and pick up a sweet treat or some WSSA swag!
Come See Us at Prowein 2026: Albatrans and WSSA teams will be exhibiting at Prowein next month. ProWein is the World's No. 1 International Trade Fair for Wines and Spirits. WSSA and Albatrans will have personnel from multiple countries attending and look forward to meeting current and future customers. Stop by Hall 4, Booth 03 and find out how we can help with your logistics or risk management needs. Contact us to schedule a visit with a member of the WSSA or Albatrans teams!
WSSA & Albatrans Attending TPM26! Representatives from WSSA and Albatrans will be at TPM26! This year's conference will be held March 1-4 at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, CA.Delving into the most pressing challenges affecting container shippers in North America and globally this event is a platform for a week of essential and intensive networking, negotiations, and relationship building among the multiple parties in the international container shipping supply chain: shippers, carriers, forwarders, technology providers, trucking operators, railroads, ports, terminals, and many others who participate in this market. If you are in the global container shipping and logistics industries, this conference is a must-attend event! Contact us if you would like to schedule an appointment with one of our representatives at TPM26!
LCL Services from France, Italy, and Spain/Portugal: Bi-monthly departures continue from each of these countries for your small shipments, offering a per case rate from point of pick up to the Alba Wine and Spirits warehouse in Edison New Jersey. Shipments from other European countries can be added into the mix, with pick-ups offered in most European countries. Please let us know if you need any further information!
