Kloosterboer International Forwarding and Alaska Reefer Management Await Ruling on Temporary Restraining Order against U.S. Customs and Border Protection
ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Sept. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Kloosterboer International Forwarding LLC (KIF) and Alaska Reefer Management LLC (ARM) presented arguments today to U.S. District Court Judge for the District of Alaska, Sharon L. Gleason, requesting a temporary restraining order 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. A ruling is expected soon.
“A ruling in our favor will allow us to immediately resume trucking fish from the cold storage facility in Bayside without the threat of further Customs fines, “said Per Brautaset, President of ARM. “This will help to resolve immediate shortages of frozen seafood that are already impacting food processors and their employees who deliver products for consumers and fast-food chains as well as school lunch and food bank programs in the Eastern United States.”
Without warning or explanation in August, CBP issued Notices of Penalty amounting to over $350 million 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. KIF and ARM believe the Bayside route is in full compliance with a long-recognized statutory exception to the Jones Act, referred to as the “Third Proviso,” and CBP’s own long-established, publicly disclosed rulings and guidance concerning the route.
“We were forced to halt shipping a month ago, causing 26 million pounds of frozen seafood – over 100 million servings of American fish – to remain in cold storage in Bayside, unable to reach American consumers during a time of supply chain strain on our food system,” said Jennifer Adamski, Director of Logistics & Operations for KIF. “Our hope is that Judge Gleason will grant the temporary restraining order so that we and our partners along the chain can continue to supply consumers and customers, while saving jobs in our industry.”
About Kloosterboer International Forwarding
Kloosterboer International Forwarding is a specialized freight forwarding business formed in Alaska, which arranges all supply chain services to transport conditioned seafood cargos from Dutch Harbor, Alaska — the heart of the Bering Sea fisheries – to strategic markets and seafood buyers around the world. Together with its affiliate, Alaska Reefer Management, it contracts high quality, temperature-controlled logistics services from trusted partners on behalf of the Alaska seafood industry and their customers.
About Alaska Reefer Management
Alaska Reefer Management LLC, a member of the 360 Quality shipping association, is a private reefer carrier servicing the Alaska seafood industry and other global trades, providing temperature-controlled transportation between ports and terminals specializing in the distribution of conditioned cargoes.
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