Oceanic Container Line Inc. Settles Allegations of Antiboycott Violations

The U.S. Department of Commerce today announced that Oceanic Container Line Inc., located in Staten Island, New York, agreed to pay an $8,250 civil penalty to settle allegations that it violated the antiboycott provisions of the Export Administration Regulations (EAR).

The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) charged that, on one occasion, Oceanic furnished prohibited information about another company’s business relationships by transmitting an agent certification regarding the eligibility of the carrying vessel to enter the port of Qatar. BIS also charged that, on one occasion, Oceanic failed to report in a timely manner its receipt of a request to provide such certification. Lastly, BIS charged that, on one occasion, Oceanic failed to maintain records containing information relating to that request.

The antiboycott provisions of the EAR prohibit U.S. persons, including foreign subsidiaries of U.S. companies, from complying with certain requirements of unsanctioned foreign boycotts. In addition, the EAR requires that U.S. persons report their receipt of certain boycott requests to the Department of Commerce and maintain records containing information relating to such reportable boycott requests.

Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Enforcement Darryl W. Jackson commended BIS’s Office of Antiboycott Compliance for its work on the investigation.