Events

Join Roanoke’s Sheila Skipper, Kathleen Dorman and La Donna Logan at the first annual Southern Border Conference in Laredo, Texas from October 25 – 28, 2017! Roanoke will be Silver Sponsors for this event, which will cover topics such as export compliance, C-TPAT, PGA’s (FDA, EPA, DOT, USDA) and ACE guidelines. Kathleen Dorman will also be presenting at 3:15PM on October 27^th (topic TBD). If you’d like to join us, we invite you to register today by clicking here. See you in October!

Hurricane Harvey’s Category 4 wind speeds and storm surge estimated at 6 to 12 feet has unleashed catastrophic and unprecedented flooding throughout the greater Houston, Texas area, and is considered to be one of the most destructive storms in the nation’s history as it continues to pummel the region.  It is “one of the largest disasters America has ever faced,” Governor Greg Abbott said, warning against expecting anything resembling recovery any time soon, or a return to the way things were. “We need to recognize it will be a new normal, a new and different normal for this entire region.”

The region has been shattered by the loss of life and hundreds of thousands of evacuees and displaced residents reeling from the effects of Harvey. In addition, there has been unimaginable devastation to homes and businesses, eight oil refineries, with about one-eighth of the nation’s refining capacity, shut down because of the storm, and both of Houston’s airports were closed. The shipping industry has also been impacted with trucking fleets, railroads and shipping lines rerouting cargo and setting up alternate supply lines as Harvey continues to disrupt freight traffic across southeast Texas. In fact, according to the Greater Houston Partnership and the consultancy Moody’s Analytics, the storm across the Texas Gulf Coast has decimated Houston’s usually rapid commercial traffic by land, air and sea and could cost the city up to $50 billion in economic activity and property damage combined,

The Wall Street Journal reports that seaports in Houston and Corpus Christi are closed to most ships since before Harvey made landfall last Friday, and rising waters from days of heavy rains and catastrophic flooding are threatening long stretches of highways and railroad tracks, bringing freight transportation in a major American hub to a virtual standstill.

In fact, many freight companies are unclear when they will be able to resume operations. The storm is expected to linger over the Texas coast until later in the week. Even after the weather improves, it could be days before floodwaters recede enough to allow dockworkers back into ports, or trucks to resume normal routes.

According to the most recent data from DAT Solutions, the number of Houston-area trucking runs requested plunged 80% this past Sunday. Union Pacific Corp. has halted all freight rail traffic bound for Houston and surrounding areas, and two Maersk Line container ships remain anchored in the Gulf of Mexico, joining oil tankers and cruise ships waiting for Houston’s port to reopen.

The storm’s impact will affect the nation’s transportation network, impacting retailers and manufacturers way beyond Texas, reported Fox News. “Other cities could see a shortage of trucks because big rigs aren’t making their scheduled trips from Houston, and railroads could see backlogs as far away as Arizona,” said Noël Perry, chief economist at Truckstop.com, an online load board.

Perry also said nearly 10% of the nation’s trucking capacity could be affected by Harvey, and that prices to book big rigs have jumped anywhere from 5% to over 20% after other large-scale weather events.

Shipping costs could rise anywhere from 5% to 22%, Perry said, based on the market’s response to past natural disasters, including Hurricane Katrina and Super Storm Sandy that hit the Northeast in 2014.

About Roanoke Trade

Roanoke Trade is a leading provider of insurance and surety solutions for transportation and logistics providers. Roanoke Claims Services is ready to help our clients affected by Hurricane Harvey. Following is the information needed to get in touch with us.

For Marine Cargo Claims:

Report your loss directly in our CoverageDock™ system. You may also reach us by phone at +1.844.283.8350 or by email at marineclaims@roanokegroup.com.

For Property and Casualty Claims:

Contact Maritza Perez or Rita Ginnow or call us at +1.800.ROANOKE. You may also email us for these types of claims at marineclaims@roanokegroup.com.

Sources: New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Fox News, Chron

The annual NCBFAA Government Affairs Conference (GAC) will be taking place September 10 – 12th in Washington, DC, and Roanoke will be represented this year by Maya Mackey and Iliana Alvarez. We hope to see you there!

Save the date for the 3rd annual Texas Customs Brokers and Forwarders Conference from August 23-26! This event will provide a forum for customs brokers and freight forwarders to join together, exchange ideas and navigate through the ever-changing world of international trade. Additionally, NEI certified specialists will be able to obtain 18.5 CCS or 16 CES credits!

Roanoke’s own Sheila Skipper, Colleen Clarke, La Donna Logan and Kathleen Dorman will be in attendance this year – be sure to join us on Thursday night for an evening of networking and mingling and don’t forget to mark your calendar for a panel discussion on BKIP, featuring Colleen Clarke, on Friday, August 25th at 9:00am.

For more information on the export and import focused sessions, registration forms and sponsorship opportunities, please click here. We’re excited for the opportunity to be sponsoring this educational conference, and hope to see you in Galveston, TX!

Roanoke is gearing up for the 45th Annual NAFTZ Conference and Exposition at the Westin San Diego! Be sure to stop by booth 19 to talk with Terry Cummings and Patrice Lafayette about Roanoke’s distinctive FTZ insurance products and our preferred NAFTZ member pricing. See you on October 22nd!

Roanoke and Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of Northern California (CBFANC) invite you to an ATA Carnet seminar that shouldn’t be missed! Roanoke’s Amanda Barlow, Anna-Marie Porter and Terry Cummings will be presenting “Carnets – The Evolving World of the Global Customs Passport for your Goods”. This educational seminar will cover:

• ATA Carnets – History on the present and potential future of ATA Carnets
• Why an ATA Carnet may be the easiest and least expensive way for your goods to travel
• Participating countries and specific ATA Carnet conventions
• Do’s and don’ts of creating the General List
• Online ATA Carnet application process
• Using ATA Carnets for U.S. CBP entries
• ATA Carnet best practices and compliance overview
• Understanding ATA Carnet bonds
• Unique advantages of exhibition cargo coverage
• … and more!

All attendees will also receive an ATA Carnet packet to take back to their office! This live presentation will take place at the Park Pointe Hotel at 245 South Airport Boulevard, South San Francisco, CA 94080 on Wednesday, August 23 from 8:30am to 12:00pm. To register please click here. We hope to see you there!

NCBFAA’s Educational Institute (NEI) is  hosting an ATA Carnet webinar where all your questions will be answered. Join us July 13, 2017 from 1:00pm to 2:00pm ET.

Does your company take advantage of ATA Carnets to ship exhibits to international trade shows? Or service projects in foreign countries? Or simply travel with samples and prototypes? Join this webinar, presented by Amanda Barlow, Vice President of ATA Carnet for Roanoke Insurance Group, to have all your questions on ATA Carnets answered.

Highlights include, ATA Carnet Best Practices, proper customs clearance procedures, managing inevitable breaches and extensions on ATA Carnet entries.

Click here to register.

Supply Chain Risks – Mitigating Through Incoterms® and Insurance

For successful sales, a solid understanding of the International Commercial Terms – Incoterms® 2010 – is vital. We will provide an overview of the Incoterms® 2010 rules critical to the sale of goods, both domestically and internationally.

A good understanding of the rules brings clarity to the costs, risk and responsibilities of both the buyer and seller and is a seller’s best defense to ensure full and prompt payment.

We will also explore the relationship between Incoterms® and insurance and how you may prevent risks throughout the various stages of the supply chain.

Join us on Thursday, June 15, 2017, at Texas Gulf Coast SBDC Network in Houston from 9am-12pm for this event. Click here for more information and to register today.

Roanoke is pleased to be a Gold Sponsor for the second annual Advanced Topics in Customs Compliance Conference! This event, taking place in Houston, Texas from September 20-22, 2017, brings together experienced import and export professionals, legal counsel, customs brokers and other international trade professionals in a highly productive environment where knowledge, experience and expertise can be shared among peers, and where meaningful relationships can develop and evolve for the mutual benefit of participants. It’s also important to note that this conference has been approved for 13.5CCS/10 CES credits through the NCBFAA Educational Institute (NEI).

Conference speakers, including Roanoke’s own Colleen Clarke, will lead in-depth discussions on imports, exports and other important industry topics. Sessions are structured to allow for interaction and ample time for Q&A. The conference is especially relevant for experienced international trade professionals who want to raise their knowledge and understanding of complex compliance issues to the next level. Colleen’s presentation, “Bond Sufficiency & Importer Risk Assessment Under New Legislation” is one you won’t want to miss!

In addition to Colleen Clarke, Kathleen Dorman and Sheila Skipper of our Houston office will also be in attendance. The conference agenda, along with registration, venue and lodging information can be found here. We invite you to reach out to us with any questions you may have regarding this event, and hope to see you there!

As a leading provider of insurance solutions for freight forwards, customs brokers and other logistics service providers, one of the key components in helping our clients mitigate and prevent losses is through the implementation of strong risk management strategies, practices, and tools. To this end, Roanoke Trade has developed a complimentary Risk Management Webinar Series for 2017 to help clients enhance their awareness of potential risks in day-to-day operations and provide solutions to help manage these risks.

Our first webinar, “The ABCs of Ts and Cs: An Overview of Terms and Conditions,” took place last month on February 1, and was presented by Christoph Wahner and Michael McDaniel of Countryman and McDaniel, a law firm that exclusively serves the aviation, maritime and transportation industries. The webinar covered the importance of written rules, also known as terms and conditions (Ts and Cs), in contracts between logistics service providers and their customers in protecting both parties. There are many issues during negotiations that need to be considered to ensure who will be responsible for what during the transportation and warehousing of goods, including the scope of the agreement and liability for direct and indirect damages. In addition to making all parties aware of their rights and obligations, Ts and Cs also act as a guide to ensure you accept business on terms with which you can comply. Furthermore, although standard Ts and Cs forms are available for intermediaries, customs brokers, and carriers to utilize, they may not be suitable for addressing your particular operation. It is essential the form properly addresses the scope of the operation. Additionally, contract risk management is key in helping to determine the type of insurance program to secure to respond in the event of liability.

Our next webinar takes place April 19 and covers a risk pervasive throughout all industry sectors, including transportation: cyber hacking and data breaches. “Cyber Risk: It’s Not a Matter of If or When But How You Prepare and Respond”, featuring moderator Maritza Perez and speaker Lauren Gorte, CPCU, Vice President, Financial Lines, Chubb, will cover essential cyber security practices to help prevent and minimize losses and what needs to be done should a breach or other type of cyber attack occur. Annual global cyber crimes costs are estimated to grow from $3 trillion in 2015 to $6 trillion annually by 2021, according to Cybersecurity Ventures, the world’s leading researcher and publisher covering the global cyber economy. This includes costs from damage and destruction of data, stolen money, lost productivity, theft of intellectual property, theft of personal and financial data, embezzlement, fraud, post-attack disruption to the normal course of business, forensic investigation, restoration and deletion of hacked data and systems, and reputational harm. Getting cyber-protected is key for all those in the global supply chain.

We will also be featuring three other webinars this year, including:

• July 20: “Best Practices for Damage Control”
• October 19: “Think Like a Criminal: Schemes Used by Cargo Thieves”
• November 9: “Shippers Contracts Master Service Agreements”

About Roanoke Trade

Roanoke Trade will be sending email announcements to register for the free webinars prior to each event. You can also visit www.roanoketrade.com/resources/webinars/ to register for an upcoming webinar. In addition, please feel free to contact one of our Roanoke Trade professionals at 1-800- ROANOKE (800-762- 6653) for more information about our insurance products and services.