2011-13105. Frozen Warmwater Shrimp From the Socialist Republic of Vietnam: Final Results of Antidumping Duty Changed Circumstances Review

AGENCY:

Import Administration, International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce.

SUMMARY:

The Department of Commerce (“Department”) has determined that Viet I-Mei Frozen Foods Co., Ltd. (“Viet I-Mei”) is the successor-in-interest to Grobest & I-Mei Industrial (Vietnam) Co., Ltd. (“Grobest & I-Mei”), and should be accorded the same antidumping duty treatment as the original company, Grobest & I-Mei for purposes of the antidumping duty order on frozen warmwater shrimp (“shrimp”) from the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (“Vietnam”).

DATES:

Effective Date: May 26, 2011

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Toni Dach, AD/CVD Operations, Office 9, Import Administration, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230; telephone: [phone].

Background

On February 1, 2005, the Department published in the Federal Register the antidumping duty order for frozen warmwater shrimp from Vietnam. See Notice of Amended Final Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value and Antidumping Duty Order: Certain Frozen Warmwater Shrimp From the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, 70 FR 5152, 5154-55 (February 1, 2005) (“Order”). As a part of the first new shipper review of shrimp from Vietnam, Grobest & I-Mei received a separate antidumping duty cash deposit rate of zero. See Certain Frozen Warmwater Shrimp From the Socialist Republic of Vietnam: Final Results of the First Antidumping Duty Administrative Review and First New Shipper Review, 72 FR 52052 (September 12, 2007).

On February 28, 2011, Viet I-Mei requested that the Department conduct a changed circumstances review, claiming that it is the successor-in-interest to Grobest & I-Mei. On April 12, 2011, the Department initiated the changed circumstances review of Grobest & I-Mei and preliminarily determined that Viet I-Mei was the successor-in-interest to Grobest & I-Mei. See Frozen Warmwater Shrimp From the Socialist Republic of Vietnam: Initiation and Preliminary Results of Changed Circumstances Review, 76 FR 20318 (April 12, 2011) (“Preliminary Results”). In the Preliminary Results, the Department invited interested parties to comment. See Preliminary Results. We received no comments or requests for a hearing from interested parties.

Scope of the Order

The scope of the order includes certain warmwater shrimp and prawns, whether frozen, wild-caught (ocean harvested) or farm-raised (produced by aquaculture), head-on or head-off, shell-on or peeled, tail-on or tail-off,^[1] deveined or not deveined, cooked or raw, or otherwise processed in frozen form.

The frozen warmwater shrimp and prawn products included in the scope of this order, regardless of definitions in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (“HTS”), are products which are processed from warmwater shrimp and prawns through freezing and which are sold in any count size.

The products described above may be processed from any species of warmwater shrimp and prawns. Warmwater shrimp and prawns are generally classified in, but are not limited to, the Penaeidae family. Some examples of the farmed and wild-caught warmwater species include, but are not limited to, whiteleg shrimp (Penaeus vannemei), banana prawn (Penaeus merguiensis), fleshy prawn (Penaeus chinensis), giant river prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii), giant tiger prawn (Penaeus monodon), redspotted shrimp (Penaeus brasiliensis), southern brown shrimp (Penaeus subtilis), southern pink shrimp (Penaeus notialis), southern rough shrimp (Trachypenaeus curvirostris), southern white shrimp (Penaeus schmitti), blue shrimp (Penaeus stylirostris), western white shrimp (Penaeus occidentalis), and Indian white prawn (Penaeus indicus).

Frozen shrimp and prawns that are packed with marinade, spices or sauce are included in the scope of this order. In addition, food preparations (including dusted shrimp), which are not “prepared meals,” that contain more than 20 percent by weight of shrimp or prawn are also included in the scope of this order.

Excluded from the scope are: (1) Breaded shrimp and prawns (HTS subheading 1605.20.10.20); (2) shrimp and prawns generally classified in the Pandalidae family and commonly referred to as coldwater shrimp, in any state of processing; (3) fresh shrimp and prawns whether shell-on or peeled (HTS subheadings 0306.23.00.20 and 0306.23.00.40); (4) shrimp and prawns in prepared meals (HTS subheading 1605.20.05.10); (5) dried shrimp and prawns; (6) canned warmwater shrimp and prawns (HTS subheading 1605.20.10.40); and (7) certain battered shrimp. Battered shrimp is a shrimp-based product: (1) That is produced from fresh (or thawed-from-frozen) and peeled shrimp; (2) to which a “dusting” layer of rice or wheat flour of at least 95 percent purity has been applied; (3) with the entire surface of the shrimp flesh thoroughly and evenly coated with the flour; (4) with the non-shrimp content of the end product constituting between four and 10 percent of the product's total weight after being dusted, but prior to being frozen; and (5) that is subjected to individually quick frozen (“IQF”) freezing immediately after application of the dusting layer. When dusted in accordance with the definition of dusting above, the battered shrimp product is also coated with a wet viscous layer containing egg and/or milk, and par-fried.

The products covered by this order are currently classified under the following HTS subheadings: 0306.13.00.03, 0306.13.00.06, 0306.13.00.09, 0306.13.00.12, 0306.13.00.15, 0306.13.00.18, 0306.13.00.21, 0306.13.00.24, 0306.13.00.27, 0306.13.00.40, 1605.20.10.10, and 1605.20.10.30. These HTS subheadings are provided for convenience and for customs purposes only and are not dispositive, but rather the written description of the scope of this order is dispositive.

Final Results of Changed Circumstances Review

For the reasons stated in the Preliminary Results (which we incorporate herein by reference), and because the Department did not receive any comments on the Preliminary Results of this review, the Department continues to find that Viet I-Mei is the successor-in-interest to Grobest & I-Mei, for purposes of the antidumping duty cash-deposit rate. Accordingly, Viet I-Mei should receive the same antidumping duty treatment as Grobest & I-Mei.

Notification

The Department will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection that the cash deposit determination from this changed circumstances review will apply to all shipments of the subject merchandise produced and exported by Viet I-Mei Frozen Foods Co., Ltd. entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after the date of publication of the final results of this changed circumstances review. This deposit rate shall remain in effect until further notice.

This notice also serves as a reminder to parties subject to administrative protective orders (“APOs”) of their responsibility concerning the disposition of proprietary information disclosed under APO in accordance with 19 CFR 351.306. Timely written notification of the return/destruction of APO materials or conversion to judicial protective order is hereby requested. Failure to comply with the regulations and terms of an APO is a sanctionable violation.

This notice is published in accordance with sections 751(b)(1) and 777(i) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended, and 19 CFR 351.216.

Dated: May 19, 2011.

Ronald K. Lorentzen,

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Import Administration.

Footnotes

1.  “Tails” in this context means the tail fan, which includes the telson and the uropods.