Canada: Ban on Canadian Alcohol with the Exception of Certain Bulk Products
The ban on Canadian wine, spirits, and beer has now been in place since September 29, prohibiting almost all beverage alcohol from crossing the border into the USA. The ban is not having a huge economic impact as Canada exports of bottled product to the USA do not represent a significant volume. Bulk products shipped to the USA are exempted from the ban, with bulk wine allowed, but subject to the section 338 50% tariffs, and bulk spirits exempted from both the ban and the tariff. Trade talks between the USA and Canada are officially suspended since the breakdown in August 22, but low-level talks are reported to be continuing. US products are still off the shelves in almost all Canadian provinces, and this continues to hurt USA producers with declines of wine exports at 87% and spirits exports down 70%.

The Liberty Justice Center, which brought the successful IEEPA and pending Section 122 cases, plans to file a court challenge to the Section 338 measures later this month and will seek relief for all affected importers, not just its named plaintiffs. If Canadian product affects your business and you’re interested in participating, let us know and we can connect you. One practical note for travelers: trade lawyers are advising people not to carry any Canadian alcohol across the border.

Mexico/USMCA

The USTR has opened the public comment period as of October 2, 2026, as talks continue on this key trade agreement. The comments are part of the process for the joint review of the USMCA in 2027, and the deadline for submission of comments is January 12, 2027. Submissions are accepted through federal dockets USTR-2026-0595 and USTR-2026-0596 on the USTR portal (https://comments.ustr.gov/s). If you would like to comment and need more information on the comment process or information requested by USTR, please let us know. US Mexico negotiations were ongoing during recent talks at the G20 meetings in Milwaukee and the bi-lateral progress with Mexico is actively advancing while the Canada talks remain suspended. The next talks on Mexico have been pushed back from late September to sometime in October. We continue to expect positive results on Mexico and continued duty-free status for Mexico beverage alcohol.  

IEEPA Refunds for “Finally” Liquidated Entries
As reported earlier today, the CIT has certified a class for importers who have entries that are in the “finally” liquidated category.  If the order is upheld, importers will be able to claim refunds for the IEEPA duties paid on these entries without filing an individual lawsuit. We will keep you posted on the next steps and hoping for a positive outcome.  

Section 122 and Section 301 Cases: Next Steps
On Section 122 (those tariffs ended July 24), the government’s appeal of the Court of International Trade’s ruling is before the Federal Circuit. Extensions have pushed back briefings, and a hearing may not come until January. To protect refund rights in the meantime, the Liberty Justice Center plans to ask the CIT for class certification and suspension of liquidation on all Section 122 entries and is looking for 2-5 importers who paid these tariffs to serve as class plaintiffs. Let us know if you would like more information or want to participate. On Section 301 (forced labor tariffs), the judges asked both sides additional questions after the September 30 hearing, with responses due October 16. A ruling before Thanksgiving is the hope, but timing is up to the court, and we do expect that the Section 301 tariffs will be more challenging to overturn.

Rhine: Back at Zero, Barge Service at Risk
The brief improvement on water levels has not held up. The Kaub scale measuring the water fell to about 0 cm on October 7 and slightly below on October 8, down roughly 9 cm in three days. Conditions could deteriorate to the point where barge transport is no longer operationally feasible, and in the meantime, low-water surcharges are continuing. Barges that are running are waiting about 36 hours in Antwerp and 56 hours in Rotterdam. Plan for trucking or rail alternatives and extra cost for anything moving through the German hinterland.

Ireland: Revenue Customs Strike October 14
Civil service unions have called an all-out 24-hour strike for Wednesday, October 14. It will affect Revenue’s trade facilitation services at all ports and airports, and capacity to clear goods will be very limited that day. Goods can’t leave ports, airports, or other authorized premises without a green routing. Anyone with shipments moving on the 14th should consider making other arrangements where needed.

German Ports: Strike Averted
There’s good news here. This week the ver.di union’s commission accepted the port employers’ offer: a 3.4% increase over 12 months, retroactive to August 1. The offer also includes a €200 holiday pay increase and, starting January 1, an extra €416 annual allowance for high-volume container terminals. Employers still need to formally approve it, but the threat of indefinite strikes has eased for now. Congestion and schedule disruption are still a problem in North Europe, though. Bremerhaven, Hamburg, Antwerp, and Rotterdam are all running below optimal conditions.

Spain: Bad Weather Impact

Storms and rains continue to impact transport in Spain. Torrential rains and flash floods have impacted cargo movement, especially in eastern and northeastern Spain, including the Valencia area. At least 2 deaths have been confirmed, and dozens of vehicle rescues, along with rail network suspensions and delays. While the situation has calmed down in the past days, weather instability is expected to continue and please be aware of potential delays.

Strait of Hormuz: Attacks Rising
Attacks on tankers last week were the highest of any week since the conflict began, and the UK maritime monitor counted nine attacks in the first week of October alone. Oman evacuated crew from a struck tanker on October 6. Transits remain a handful per day against a normal 85, and Brent crude is holding around $100 and fuel prices at the pump remaining high in almost all regions.    

Panama Canal: Capacity Increase Coming October 15
As noted last week, the canal adds Neopanamax transits starting October 15, bringing total daily capacity to 33. A modest but welcome improvement after weeks of tightening.  

Suez Canal

Most carriers have returned to using the Suez Canal for their Asia to Europe trades, thus reducing the transit time and normalizing capacity. The return to the Suez will, in theory, release about 6% of global fleet capacity that was tied up in the longer route around Africa. With that said, war risk issues remain high for the Red Sea and Bal al-Mandab Strait and insuring cargo can be problematic. Let us know if you have any questions or would like to discuss cargo risk management for your products transiting the canal. To hear more about the opening of the Suez and the global ocean carrier outlook, come to the upcoming Port of NYNJ event on October 20 and hear from industry expert, Alan Murphy.

LCL Services from France, Italy, and Spain/Portugal – Space available for October sailings!
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. All containers continue to run as operating reefers, ensuring your cargo is protected from fall heat. 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!

Register now for October 20 PONYNJ Market Briefing and Port tour!

Join terminal officials, CBP, and market experts for WSSA’s annual NYNJ port event and tour. For more information, contact info@wssa.com.