The UK ceased to be part of the EU customs union at 23:00 GMT on 31 December 2020. The UK is now considered by the EU to be a “third country” and as such VAT treatment of UK pleasure craft in EU waters and EU pleasure craft entering UK waters will be affected. This update seeks to outline the post-Brexit position on the payment of VAT for existing pleasure boat owners in the UK, and for those looking to dip their toes in the water this season ...
Cryptocurrencies have captured the imaginations of individuals and emerging businesses drawn to their potential to serve as alternative stores of value, to reduce transaction costs by eliminating intermediaries. Most notably in popular culture and media - to provide eye-catching opportunities for speculative investing ...
On Tuesday 7 February 2023, the Transport Secretary, Rt Hon Mark Harper, laid out his commitment to the rail industry for the first time during the George Bradshaw address. As it stands it was a huge night for rail, with the sector desperate for some clarity over what the next steps are in relation to a number of things ranging from the establishment of Great British Railways (GBR) through to where it will be based and visibility of work pipelines ...
The government has confirmed its intention to establish eight new Freeports in Solent, East Midlands Airport, Felixstowe & Harwich, Humber, Liverpool City Region, Plymouth & South Devon, Teesside and Thames. In our latest Freeport bitesize briefing, we look at some of the potential commercial contracts and supply chain opportunities for businesses looking to operate in these Freeports. There are generous customs and taxation benefits within Freeport sites ...
On Nov. 19, 2018, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) of the U.S. Department of Commerce issued an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking[1] requesting public comment on criteria for identifying emerging technologies essential to U.S. national security that would be subject to increased export controls ...
On January 25, 2021, President Biden signed the Ensuring the Future Is Made in All of America by All of America’s Workers (Made in America) Executive Order, which not only directs that federal government purchases and procurement go to American businesses and workers, but also calls out the Jones Act for specifically endorsing the nation’s vessels, ports, and merchant crews ...
Are bidders required to partner with a Taiwan company to participate in the bidding process? Foreign companies may participate in the bidding process on their own, so long as they meet the bidding qualifications. Most public engineering projects permit either bidding by a single company or by a joint bid. So long as a company is able to meet the qualifications for the procurement project, it may submit a bid on its own ...
The Ministry of Transport and Public Works (Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transporte) of Ecuador, which is entitled of the management of the ports had issued the invitation to the public bidding process ...
As you may well be aware of, the Manta Multipurpose Deepwater Terminal Concession project was awarded to Hutchison by November 17, 2006. I personally assisted Hutchison in the process, from the time immediately after tendering its offer to the time the concession agreement was executed. then, Hutchison took its own path and, eventually, the relationship between the Port Authority and Hutchison was over ...
Self-driving cars are still years away, but technological advances are making vehicles safer and more personalized right now. Here’s what that means for the industry. If you’re on the streets of Northern California in the next few months, you might pass a tiny car that looks like a smiling kid’s toy. It may be cute or creepy, depending on your perspective, but to some it’s a vision of the future: a Google-made, self-driven car ...
The value of the car is no longer merely associated with the car body, its engine or other material parts. Substantial value is found in the knowledge that controls the car – knowledge that does not only steer the car, but which may form the basis for maintenance and repairs planning, computing insurance premiums or indicating who is liable in the case of damage ...
For the aviation sector, the first half of 2020 has sadly been defined by the many challenges brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, resulting in operational and economic disruption across the globe. Now six months in, the industry is taking stock, adapting strategies and mapping out future plans for business post Covid-19 ...
The pandemic has not slowed down the arrival of self-driving vehicles on our roads. This technological advancement is becoming more and more commonplace, giving rise to a need for deep reflection, especially in the automobile insurance industry ...
According to a recent study, 25% of new cars sold around the world will be self-driving by 20351. A group of researchers from Princeton University estimates that by 2035-2050 over half of American cars will be self-driving2. Smart cars are currently being sold in Québec and their advent is sure to have repercussions on several players. Self-Driving Cars Smart cars use information and communication technology in accident prevention systems with varying levels of automation ...
Autonomous cars have really taken off in the last few years, particularly due to the interest of both consumers and the businesses who develop and improve them. In this context, on April 5 and 10, 2017, the City of Montréal and the Government of Québec respectively announced significant investments in the electrification and intelligent transportation sector to make the Province of Québec a pioneer of that industry ...
With the recent enactment of Bill 165, An Act to amend the Highway Safety Code and other provisions1, the driving of autonomous vehicles in Quebec is finally regulated, although a number of uncertainties remain. Indeed, the driving of autonomous vehicles of automation level 3, such as Tesla’s model X equipped with an improved guidance system, is now permitted in Quebec ...
Michigan Governor Whitmer signed Executive Order 2020-77 today, permitting manufacturing workers to resume work as part of the MI Safe Start Plan. Manufacturing workers, including workers in the automotive industry, are allowed to resume work on May 11, 2020, one week ahead of the planned restart date of certain Michigan automakers. See Executive Order No. 2020-77, Section 10(k) ...
The Automated Vehicles Act (the Act) creates a licensing and permitting scheme for operators that intend to use automated vehicles to offer transportation services for passengers and goods. In this article Ben Gardner outlines what potential operators need to consider ...
The Automated Vehicles Act has received Royal Assent after a smooth and quick passage through parliament. In this article, Ben Gardner outlines what organisations in the sector can expect to happen next. What is the Automated Vehicles Act? The Act lays the foundations for the future deployment of automated vehicles on public roads ...
The Automated Vehicles Act (the Act) regulates the marketing of self-driving vehicles, prohibiting the use of misleading terminology or communications that could confuse consumers. In this article Ben Gardner explores how the use of terminology that could mislead consumers will be regulated. The Act has now received Royal Assent and creates a regulatory framework which applies to the deployment and use of automated vehicles on UK roads ...
[!<CDATA[ In one of its recent opinions, Kellogg Brown & Root Services, Inc. v. Sec’y of the Army, the Federal Circuit issued new guidance on what contractors must show to prove the reasonableness of costs incurred following an (alleged) government-caused delay. The U.S. Army (the “Army”) and Kellogg Brown & Root Services, Inc. (“KBR”) contracted for KBR to deliver thousands of trailers to Iraq by an agreed-upon deadline ...
In the recent judgment of “The Owners of the mv “Silver Star” v Hilane Limited”*, several important principles were established, namely: Full effect must be given to the right to proceed against an associated ship of a charterer in respect of a maritime claim that arises in the course of the Charter ...
With an increase in recent years of mass tort litigations and runaway jury verdicts, the scope and complexity of product liability and mass torts litigation continues to expand. The result: product manufacturers face ever-growing potential risk and exposure. While in the past, manufacturers may have viewed products liability litigation as an inherent risk of doing business, the current legal climate has resulted in products liability litigation being far from business as usual ...
The legal concept that one can arrest a vessel and prevent it moving is unusual to say the least. An arrest in the UK (and other jurisdictions) is practically undertaken by serving upon the vessel a “Warrant of Arrest”, a very similar concept to criminal proceedings albeit this form of arrest is a civil law admiralty procedure and for very different reasons ...
